Google Maps Lists Over 550 Safe Medication Disposal Units

Approximately 550 medication disposal units across the United States are now searchable by Google Maps, according to an announcement by Rite Aid and the Rite Aid Foundation. The new capability allows more opportunities for customers to safely dispose of unneeded or unwanted medications.

“We are constantly looking for additional ways to help combat prescription drug abuse and misuse, which is impacting communities across the country,” said Bryan Everett, chief operating officer of Rite Aid Corporation and president of The Rite Aid Foundation, in a prepared statement. “Thanks to new technology, and partners like Google, finding a safe, monitored place to dispose of unused or unwanted prescription drugs is now as easy as opening an app on your phone or using Google Maps on your laptop.”

Users can search “medication disposal” on Google or Google Maps on a browser or mobile device in order to find a safe medication disposal unit in a Rite Aid store or a KidCents Safe Medication Disposal Unit in a local police station or law enforcement agency.

The partnership with Google is just 1 of the initiatives that Rite Aid has implemented as part of its comprehensive strategy to address prescription drug abuse and misuse, according to the company. Other programs include the KidCents Safe Medication Disposal Program in 2017, which provides law enforcement agencies in communities with Rite Aids with free medication disposal units, and the recent expansion of 100 medication disposal units in Rite Aid locations across the country.

The Rite Aid Foundation has also made a multi-year, commitment to the Prescription Drug Safety program, a digital course about prescription drug abuse prevention. The course uses an evidence-based, public health approach to empower high school students with the skills and knowledge to make safe and healthy decisions about prescription drugs and prevent use disorders before they occur.

Beyond encouraging proper disposal of expired or unwanted medications, Rite Aid pharmacists work closely with patients’ prescribers and collaborate on appropriate pain management therapy decisions. All patients with new opioid prescriptions receive required counseling on their prescriptions.

In addition to supporting the CDC's guidelines for prescribing opioids, Rite Aid also participates in prescription drug monitoring programs, and provides ongoing education and training about prescription drug misuse and abuse to its more than 5000 pharmacists.

Rite Aid also has worked hard to increase access to the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, which is now available in all Rite Aid pharmacies without a prescription, according to the company.

Reference

Rite Aid Partners with Google Maps to Promote Safe Medication Disposal [news release]. Rite Aid. Published July 15, 2019. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190715005588/en/Rite-Aid-Partners-Google-Maps-Promote-Safe. Accessed July 15, 2019.