Is your facility in compliance with new EPA rules regarding disposal of pharmaceuticals? In August 2019, new regulations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) went into effect regarding the safe disposal of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. In an effort to curb accidental poisonings or misuse and abuse of certain high-risk medications, staff are no longer allowed to flush these items away — a practice referred to […]

EDITORS’ NOTE: The reviews presented in this article are Dr. Schuman’s and do not represent those of Contemporary Pediatrics or the editors.   It’s been an outstanding year for medical innovation—in fact, one of the best I can recall. If you want to improve the capabilities of your “high-tech office,” consider the following gadgets and gizmos that are sure to impress. 1. New stethoscopes from Ekohealth No doubt you’ve seen advertisements from an innovative company […]

BCCA’s incinerator will be used to destroy prescription drugs collected from nine permanent drug drop boxes across Baldwin County, AL.   On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, including prescription and illicit drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   Alabama’s Baldwin County Community Alliance (BCCA) has unveiled its newest tool to fight prescription drug abuse—an incinerator, which will be used to properly destroy prescription drugs collected from […]

A learning health system, HCA Healthcare is harnessing powerful data-driven tools to curb the tide of the opioid crisis. We seek to raise the bar higher, not just for ourselves, but for communities everywhere affected by opioids. Find out more here…   We’re proud to announce our first national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day. On Saturday, September 7, 2019 more than 65 HCA Healthcare facilities will partner with local law enforcement agencies to […]

People with diabetes threw out sharps safely when they were instructed in the correct disposal method, according to findings presented at the American Association of Diabetes Educators annual meeting.   “Just distributing information may not be as valuable as taking time to provide proper instruction on home sharps disposal,” Jana Wardian, PhD, MSW, research director, at the Diabetes Center of Excellence and research assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University Wilford Hall Medical Center in […]

A new EPA rule on hazardous waste pharmaceuticals has healthcare executives rethinking their plan to dispose of drugs and hazardous waste. Among other things, these new regulations in the final rule prohibit the disposal of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the drain and eliminates the dual regulation of RCRA hazardous waste pharmaceuticals that are also Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substances.   The new rules also maintains the household hazardous waste exemption for pharmaceuticals collected during […]

If your facility generates waste in the form of needles or other sharps, you may wonder how these sharps should be disposed of in the central accumulation area (CAA). Can they stay in their red biohazard bins with a label? We do not know of any regulations that would prohibit moving red biohazard bins containing sharps to a RCRA hazardous waste central accumulation area (CAA) provided the generator of the sharps is in compliance with […]

Healthcare entities are facing several changes when it comes to managing pharmaceuticals considered to be hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). These entities include hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, nursing and long-term care (LTC) facilities, as well as clinics and reverse distributors. The final rule for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals was released in the Federal Register on Feb. 22, 2019, and outlines a new set of […]