Accidental Ingestion of Adult Medications Leading Cause of Pediatric Emergency Room Visits

DENVER, April 26, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​​Cordant Health Solutions™, a provider of innovative tools for monitoring and managing behavioral health and chronic pain patients through its unique pharmacy and drug testing programs, announced that it has collected more than 214,000 pills — 235 pounds — of unused or expired drugs to date since the beginning of its prescription drug Take-Back Program in 2016, helping to prevent the potential for misuse or accidental ingestion.

Many are familiar with the advice to change their smoke alarm batteries twice a year. It’s a smart habit because, in the absence of the annoying beeping sound that some alarms make when the battery is low, there really is no way to tell how much “life” is left in it.

But there’s another very serious safety issue in the home that consumers should be aware of and acting on at least twice a year. Unused or expired medications — whether forgotten about or held onto “just in case” — pose a danger for misuse or accidental ingestion by children or even pets.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored biannually by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will be held on April 27, 2019, providing an opportunity for anyone to safely dispose of unused or expired medication at a nearby collection site.

The threat of medication poisoning, especially in children, is very real. More young children now visit U.S. emergency rooms for drug poisonings than for car crashes, largely due to an increase in the number of children who find and swallow prescription drugs at home. The highest rates of emergency room visits involved the ingestion of common heart and blood pressure medications, while the most serious injuries and hospitalizations occurred most frequently with opioids.

Medications that are easily accessible in the home also present an opportunity for misuse. According to a 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, of the six million Americans who misused controlled prescription drugs, more than half (53.1 percent) of people aged 12 or older who misused pain relievers obtained them from a friend or relative, often from a home medicine cabinet.

Cordant supports the effort to keep homes and communities safe with its prescription drug Take-Back Program, providing take-back envelopes in partner physicians’ offices, substance use treatment centers and Cordant pharmacies for patients to safely dispose of their unused medications, including controlled substances scheduled II–V.

To find DEA Take Back Day collection locations, please visit DEATakeBack.com. People can also search the U.S Department of Justice site to find year-round collection locations at https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.

ABOUT CORDANT

Based in Denver, Cordant Health Solutions™ (www.cordantsolutions.com) provides innovative tools for monitoring and managing behavioral health, chronic pain and criminal justice cases. Our unique programs include pharmacy, clinical laboratory and analytic tools that provide actionable information to protect prescribers, improve outcomes and contain costs.

As a leader in rigorous quality and compliance standards, Cordant is committed to developing groundbreaking solutions for payers, clinicians and organizations involved in the substance use disorder, criminal justice and pain management markets. Cordant offers unique risk assessment, monitoring and management tools through its integrated network of laboratories and high-touch pharmacies specializing in the management and dispensing of controlled substances and behavioral health medications. Cordant's testing protocols and digital case-management tools help clients become more efficient and effective in assessing and managing risk, monitoring patient adherence and improving patient outcomes.

MEDIA CONTACT:
​Tiffany Tuetken
​303-570-4585
​[email protected]

Source: Cordant Health Solutions