PRESS RELEASEโ With the opioid epidemic still running rampant in the Hudson Valley, Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) and Good Samaritan Hospital will announce a new initiative designed to promote a cleaner, safer method of destroying unused opioid medications. Mallinckrodt pharmaceutical will donate 7,500 deactivation pouches that can be another helpful resource in the fight against opioids that will be distributed by Good Samaritan and Carlucci’s office.
โEveryone from doctors and law enforcement to patients themselves have to be partners in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Promoting resources like these pouches, which are available to health practitioners, that can be helpful in any way are good tools to have in the community. As a result of this partnership with Good Samaritan and Mallinckrodt, we can help encourage patients who are prescribed medications with opioids dispose of them in a cleaner and safer way,โ stated Senator Carlucci.
โWe are pleased to accept this generous donation from Mallinckrodt and to partner with Sen. Carlucci on this significant initiative for our community,โ said Mary P. Leahy, MD, CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health System/Good Samaritan Hospital. โGiving people a convenient, safe way to dispose of their medications is prevention at its best. By reducing the numbers of unused medications in our medicine cabinets, we create fewer opportunities for those medications to be abused. And we are very hopeful that this initiative will serve to continue the community conversation on saving lives.โ
“As a company focused on the health and well-being of our patients and communities, Mallinckrodt has long been a strong advocate of addressing the complex issues of opioid misuse and abuse that cause so much harm to families,” saidย Mark Trudeau, Mallinckrodt President and Chief Executive Officer. “We share the concerns of parents across the nation, and believe that providing patients with a safe, environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused medications is critical in this fight against prescription drug abuse,” added Trudeau. โMallinckrodt is committed to working with health care providers, policy makers, community leaders, law enforcement and industry partners to ensure the responsible use of pain medication and prevent unused medications from ending up in the wrong hands.”
Several members of the Good Samaritan medical staff and representatives of Mallinckrodt were on hand to demonstrate the pouches.ย Below is a brief description of how they work:
- Sealable pouch contains active carbon
- Patient adds any remaining medications and water to the pouch
- Carbon binds to the active ingredients and breaks the medication down
- Sealed pouch can then be safely disposed of in household garbage
Good Samaritan and Senator Carlucciโs office will be distributing the pouches throughout the community.ย For more information, please call Senator Carlucciโs office at 845-623-3627
You must be logged in to post a comment Login