Marshfield Clinic Health System is making it easier for patients and community members to safely dispose of medication by adding collection kiosks at 14 Marshfield Clinic pharmacy locations across Wisconsin.
The kiosks are part of a partnership between Marshfield Clinic Health System and Security Health Plan of Wisconsin to help curb prescription drug abuse in Wisconsin.
Sue Wilhelm is Director of Pharmacy at Security Health Plan, part of the Marshfield Clinic Health System. She outlines how the kiosks work...
"....which are basically stainless steel drop boxes similar to a postal office box that are securely installed by our Marshfield Clinic pharmacies across the system. These kiosks enable anyone to dispose of these prescription medications that they are unable to use....."
Wilhelm says the dropboxes can take any prescription, such as high blood pressure to opioids.She says sharps and needles are not accepted in the kiosks. She says when the kiosks are full, the unused drugs are removed by trained personnel and the drugs eventually are incinerated...
"....obviously Marshfield Clinic is a prescriber of prescription medications. Many patients have trouble tolerating a medicine or have side effects so they're unable to complete a prescription, so we're unable to get these medications out of the communities...."
Medsafe kiosks can be found at Marshfield Clinic locations in Wausau, Merrill, Minocqua, Mercer, and other Marshfileld Clinic locations.
Marshfield Clinic is the first health care system in central, northern and western Wisconsin to offer year-round medication drop boxes.
