LOS
ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
Kroger/Ralphs, as part of Kroger Health, and Cardinal Health will
be working together again to host their annual drug take back
events at more than 150 local pharmacy locations across the
country. These events will take place on Saturday, October 29, the Drug Enforcement
Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
In recent years, the rate of U.S. adults taking prescription
drugs has steadily increased, with the most recent data from the
Health Policy Institute showing about 66% of U.S. adults are taking
prescription drugs1. With these increases in
prescription drug usage, misuse of expired or unused medications is
always a concern.
"Ralphs Pharmacy is beyond excited to once again collaborate
with Cardinal Health and local law enforcement agencies to provide
anonymous, safe and convenient locations to safely dispose of any
unused or expired prescription drugs," said Dr. Linh Lee, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy for
Ralphs. "This step is one we can all take to help strengthen our
communities and help people live healthier lives."
"At Cardinal Health, it's always a priority for us to help lead
the fight against prescription medication misuse," said Jessie
Cannon, vice president of community relations at Cardinal Health.
"We are honored to work with like-minded organizations such as
Kroger Health/Ralphs who are committed to improving the health of
our communities and reducing prescription medication misuse. By
providing centralized locations for community members to dispose of
medication safely, we are helping keep our communities safe."
The Drug Take Back event ladders up to Cardinal Health's
Generation Rx program, an evidence-informed prevention education
program which offers age-appropriate resources to teach others
about using medications safely. Generation Rx was founded at The
Ohio State University College of
Pharmacy and has been powered through a partnership with Cardinal
Health since 2009.
In the Southern California
area, drug take back events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local law enforcement officers
will be on site to accept unused, unwanted or expired pills,
liquids, gels, over-the-counter (OTC) medications and patches (no
medications will be accepted inside stores).
Ralphs locations hosting the event include:
- Ralphs #21 located at 1745 Garfield Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030
- Ralphs #147 located at 27760 N. McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91354
- Ralphs #284 located at 10772 Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230
- Ralphs #604 located at 12470 Seal Beach Boulevard, Seal Beach, CA 90740
Every day, Kroger Health/Ralphs pharmacists are available at
store locations to educate customers about proper medication use
and disposal. In-store pharmacies also offer naloxone – the
life-saving medication that helps reverse opioid overdose – and
free DisposeRx at-home disposal packets for customers with
qualifying prescriptions.
During the events, Kroger Health/Ralphs pharmacy associates will
distribute free reusable totes with DisposeRx at-home medication
disposal packets, mental health resources and Generation
Rx materials (note: quantities are limited).
Cardinal Health has joined Kroger Health in hosting drug take
back events across the U.S. for several years. More than
115,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs have been collected for
safe disposal during these events. To view the complete list of
Kroger Health drug take back event locations across the country,
visit Kroger.com.
About Ralphs
Ralphs Grocery Company is dedicated to our purpose: to Feed
the Human Spirit™. We are more than 18,000 associates serving
customers in 184 supermarkets across Southern California. From the company's
headquarters in Los Angeles
County, Ralphs is a recognized leader in community service
and giving. The company supports Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
initiative aimed at ending hunger in our communities and
eliminating waste within our company by the year 2025. Ralphs is a
subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the world's largest
retailers, based in Cincinnati,
Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our website at
www.ralphs.com.
About Kroger Health:
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one
of America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over
2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14
million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners -
from pharmacists and nurse practitioners to dietitians and
technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives.
We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling
"food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. For
more information, visit https://www.krogerhealth.com.
About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global
manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products,
and a provider of performance and data solutions for health care
facilities. With 50 years in business, operations in more than 30
countries and approximately 46,500 employees globally, Cardinal
Health is essential to care. Information about Cardinal Health is
available at cardinalhealth.com.
1 Prescription drugs. Health Policy Institute.
(2019, February 13). Retrieved
September 8, 2022, from
https://hpi.georgetown.edu/rxdrugs/
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SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company