TPPC Wraps Up Fall Medication Cleanout Cycle
The Texas Panhandle Poison Center (TPPC) launched its 2018 Fall Medication Cleanout cycle Sept. 29 at the TTUHSC Amarillo campus. Event volunteers saw 272 vehicles bring in 793 pounds of unwanted, expired or unused
medications and 109 pounds of sharps.
TPPC’s Fall Medication Cleanout cycle also included an Oct. 13 stop at the TTUHSC campuses in Lubbock and an Oct. 27 trip to Abilene. The Lubbock event saw 246 vehicles and collected 890 pounds of unwanted, expired or unused medications and 54 pounds of sharps. The Abilene collection included 221 vehicles and took in 546 pounds of medications and 144.5 pounds of sharps.
The collections provide a way for residents to remove unwanted or unused medications from homes, schools and the streets by safely disposing of them in a free, legal and environmentally sound manner.
Since starting the program in 2009, TPPC has conducted 59 Medication Cleanout events and collected more than 45,200 pounds of medications and 2,986.5 pounds of sharps for incineration.
TPPC Managing Director Jaramillo-Stametz, Pharm.D., said she initially thought the Medication Cleanout program would be a temporary event, but she’s learned that TPPC is providing a important community service that is needed on an on-going basis.
“It’s encouraging that residents are working to ensure that their homes and neighborhoods
are safer by removing unused medications from their homes, Jaramillo-Stametz said.
“The events also give students of various health professions the opportunity to volunteer
and see firsthand the enormity of the issue with the accumulation of both prescription
and over-the-counter medications in the home while they also serve their communities.
As we work to gain control of the opioid epidemic in our country, we also are learning
the downstream effects of tighter regulations on substances such as hydrocodone.”
Image Gallery
Related Stories
Willed Body Memorial Service Honors Those Who Donated
On Memorial Day each May, a service is conducted at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institute of Anatomical Sciences to pay respect to the Willed Body Program donors and their families.
Molecular Pathology Preceptorship: Unmatched Value and Experience
Ericka Hendrix, PhD, MB(ASCP)CM, Program Director and Associate Professor in the Master of Science in Molecular Pathology program in the School of Health Professions spoke about the program’s preceptorship.
Moseley Named Permian Basin Regional Dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing
Kelly Moseley, DHSc, R.N., has been named the TTUHSC School of Nursing regional dean in the Permian Basin.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC Teams Selected for 2025 Innosphere Life Sciences Accelerator Cohort
A pair of teams representing TTUHSC earned a spot among the 33 startup groups selected for the 2025 cohort of the Innosphere Life Sciences Accelerator.
Exploring New Frontiers in Patient Care
Jenna Kesey, Ph.D., associate managing director for the Clinical Research Institute (CRI) at TTUHSC, said it's important that the university provides opportunities for its patients to have access to innovative therapies through the clinical trial process.
Willed Body Memorial Service Honors Those Who Donated
On Memorial Day each May, a service is conducted at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institute of Anatomical Sciences to pay respect to the Willed Body Program donors and their families.