header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather
Calendar


[KHTS] – Santa Clarita residents have the opportunity to help prevent prescription-drug abuse among teens and adults alike by turning in their unused or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal at Henry Mayo Hospital on Saturday.

DrugTakeback-SliderIn partnership with the Action Family Foundation and KHTS AM-1220, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital will serve as Santa Clarita’s drop-off location for the drug take-back event, which is being held at thousands of locations across the country by the Drug Enforcement Administration in honor of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, according to a hospital news release.

“We’re at epidemic levels when it comes to substance abuse, especially prescription pills, and we have got to get these pills out of homes and off the streets,” said Cary Quashen, founder and CEO of Action Family Counseling drug and alcohol rehab centers and the non-profit Action Family Foundation. “Those pills are dangerous and deadly, and we’re on a mission to do our part here in Santa Clarita to save our kids.”

Santa Clarita residents are encouraged to check their medicine cabinets for unused or expired prescription pills and bring them to the hospital, where they can anonymously dispose of them for free, with no questions asked, event officials said.

Recent studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet, according to the news release.

“One of the major ways young people are getting them is right out of medicine cabinets,” Quashen said. “What we hear all the time is, ‘My kid won’t,’ and maybe not, but what about their friends? You never know who is going to walk into your house.”

Experimenting with prescription drugs can also be directly linked to heroin use later on, said Krissy McAfee, who serves on the board of the Action Family Foundation. She cited research indicating 77 percent of heroin users started with prescription drugs.

This link is due to the fact that the same opiate high people seek from prescription pills can be obtained by using heroin, which is much cheaper and easier to obtain, Quashen said in an earlier interview, further contributing to the importance of keeping prescription pills out of the wrong hands.

In addition to preventing drug misuse, the event increases public awareness and addresses vital public safety and health issues, including the recent discovery that traditional methods of drug disposal– like flushing pills down the toilet, or even throwing them in the trash– pose potential hazards, event officials said.

Over the past few years, the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the disposal of prescription drugs, finding that flushing pills down the toilet can pollute the water supply, said Gerald Subar, pharmacy director at Henry Mayo Hospital. As a result, the practice is no longer recommended.

Last year’s event resulted in 324 tons, or about 647,000 pounds, of prescription drugs being turned in at more than 4,114 sites across the country, and this year’s event is expected to bring in similar results with 5,600 sites nationwide, according to the news release.

Since the DEA held their first drug take-back event in 2010, more than 3.4 million pounds of pills have been collected, McAfee said.

“Events like these are what the Action Family Foundation is all about,” said Jeri Seratti-Goldman, the foundation’s president. “We want to support families any way we can in the fight against illegal drug use, and getting rid of unused or expired prescriptions can help make sure they don’t get into the wrongs hands.”

Santa Clarita residents can bring their pills and patches for disposal to Henry Mayo Hospital, located at 23845 McBean Parkway, outside the front main entrance door on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s station, located at 23740 W. Magic Mountain Parkway, is also serving as a drop-off location during the same hours.

 

Comment On This Story

2 Comments

  1. Tommy Rini says:

    Sounds like a good place to get high

  2. Tommy Rini says:

    On doing the right thing!

Leave a Comment


Related Content
Latest Stories on SCVNews.com
After the January wildfires, the county began a review to assess our evacuation policies and emergency alert systems. The state has also commissioned a review of our preparedness efforts, immediate response to the fires and the recovery time frame of the incident.
Kathryn Barger | Wildfire Analysis
Island Pacific Santa Clarita is gearing up for a celebration of National Lumpia Day with a lumpia-eating contest on Saturday, March 15, from 3-6:30 p.m.
March 15: Lumpia Eating Contest at Island Pacific Santa Clarita
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will be held Tuesday, March 18 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
March 18: Saugus School Board to Receive Measure EE Annual Report
After a successful pilot program in the Saugus Union School District, School Day Café has expanded the use of a new, eco-friendly serving tray option across all Santa Clarita Valley elementary schools.
SCV Elementary School Lunches Offered on Eco-friendly Serving Trays
In support of “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life,” the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is developing a Water Use Efficiency Strategic Plan to establish a comprehensive water conservation strategy.
March 26: SCV Water Hosts Public Workshop on Water Use Efficiency Plan
College of the Canyons Women's Tennis got back in the win column with an 8-1 conference road win at Glendale College.
Canyons Gets Back in the Win Column 8-1 at Glendale
The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer invites the community to join the annual "Walk 4 MHF Help Kids Fight Cancer" to help raise awareness and support local families affected by childhood cancer.
April 5: Annual Walk 4 MHF Help Kids Fight Cancer at Central Park
The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society has announced that the St. Francis Dam Tour scheduled for Saturday, March 15 has been postponed until Saturday, April 26.
March 15: St. Francis Dam Tour Postponed Due to Rain
The city of Santa Clarita is enhancing local roadways with the upcoming 2024-2025 Citywide Major Thoroughfare Median Refurbishment Project on Plum Canyon Road.
City of Santa Clarita to Refurbish Plum Canyon Road Medians
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is preparing for the annual fundraising Celebrity Waiter Dinner to be held Saturday, April 26 at the Bella Vida Senior Center.
April 26: Celebrity Waiter Dinner to Feature ‘Broadway Lights’ Theme
2000 - Time capsule buried at Newhall Metrolink station [Station Grand Opening Video]
Newhall Metrolink
As you drive through Santa Clarita, you may have noticed something exciting, new projects are taking shape all around the city.
Patsy Ayala | From Groundbreakings to Grand Openings
The Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley 16th Annual Wine Affair: Wine, Beer and Cheer Big Hat Bash will be held Sunday, April 6 on Main Street in Old Town Newhall from noon to 5 p.m.
April 6: The 16th Annual Wine Affair Big Hat Bash
The city of Santa Clarita's art exhibition, "Saddle Up Santa Clarita" will run through Wednesday, May 14 at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355.
‘Saddle Up Santa Clarita’ Art Exhibition in City Hall
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced that 10 high school seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Hart District Announces National Merit Scholarship Finalists
The Master's University Theater Arts presents 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde Fridays and Saturdays, March 21-29 at The Master's University, Music Recital Hall at 24736 Quigley Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
March 21-29: TMU Theater Arts Presents ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’
Beginning Monday, March 17, at 6 a.m., Jet will be hosting “Jet into Work,” on 88.5-FM, The SoCal Sound which will lend a fun and upbeat start to listeners’ mornings.
The SoCal Sound to Present ‘Jet into Work’ Radio Show
Safely dispose of household hazardous waste and electronic waste for free 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5 at the College of the Canyons Valencia Campus, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
April 5: Free HHW, E-Waste Disposal at COC
The Music Center has announced 113 of Southern California’s most talented high school students have advanced in The Music Center’s 37th Annual Spotlight program, which includes three students from the Santa Clarita Valley.
Three from SCV Earn Music Center Spotlight Recognition
The track and field teams at The Master's University began their 2025 outdoor campaign at the Occidental Spring Break Classic on Saturday, March 8. Multiple qualifiers were added and a school record fell in the men's 4x100m relay.
TMU Track Opens Outdoor Season at Oxy
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo has announced the introduction of the Roads to Resilience Act, AB 1132, a piece of legislation designed to prioritize the needs of communities disproportionately impacted by climate disasters.
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Improve Evacuation in At-Risk Areas
College of the Canyons baseball claimed its first conference win in a 10-5 affair over Citrus College at Mike Gillespie Field on Tuesday, March 10.
Cougars Pick Up First Conference Win 10-5 Over Citrus
Opera America, a nonprofit that supports opera in the United States, recently announced the 2025 recipients of two of its prestigious distinctions: the 2025 Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and the Discovery Grants from its Opera Grants for Women Composers program.
CalArtians Named Opera America 2025 Prize Winners, Grantees
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has launched a new campaign to increase awareness of the Department’s Alternative Crisis Response Program and to foster trust in the program’s Field Intervention Teams which serve as the county’s first responders for mental health crisis support.
County Raises Awareness of Mental Health Crisis Support Teams
SCVNews.com