Sharp Disposal Boxes Installed At Five Bucks County Hospitals

DOYLESTOWN, PA ? Bucks County now has five locations to safely dispose of sharps.

During a press conference in front of the Emergency Department at Doylestown Health, county, hospital and agency leaders announced the installation of five permanent collection boxes at locations around the county.

The boxes can be found at five Bucks County hospitals including Doylestown Hospital, Grand View Hospital in Perkasie, Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Falls Township, St. Luke?s Hospital-Quakertown and St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township.

The program is made possible through the Bucks County Medication Disposal Program, supported by the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, the Bucks County Commissioners, the Bucks County District Attorney, and the Bucks County Healthcare Improvement Partnership (BCHIP), which aims to develop programs and policies that improve the health outcomes and well-being of the community.

?This was not an easy sell getting the hospitals to commit to taking in sharps. Sharps can be inherently dangerous,? said District Attorney Matt Weintraub, who commended the hospitals for working with the county, the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Council and BCHIP to make the collection containers possible.

?The sharps that we are collecting are used to inject all kinds of medicines and people are always worried and in a quandary on how to dispose of them," said Weintraub. "They would come to us repeatedly at the medication drop off days and say we have these sharps, but we don?t know how to get rid of them.

?God forbid, we don?t want to find them laying in the street, we don?t want them in our playgrounds and we don?t want them in our trash,? said Weintraub. ?So this is truly going to be a lifesaving endeavor that all of the hospitals have engaged in.?

Community members can use the boxes to dispose of unneeded or expired sharps, including needles, syringes, lancets/finger sticks and auto injectors such as Epi pens.

Jim Brexler, the President and CEO of Doylestown Health, represented the five Bucks County hospitals at the event.

"Our emergency rooms take in the bad outcome that takes place with addiction. We are saving people everyday, but we also realize we are part of the problem, too," said Brexler. "Part of the issue was over prescribing narcotics and not giving people adequate directions on what to do with that medication. And when we think of the criminal element involved, we don?t realize are participants in that as well. It?s our medicine cabinet. It becomes the source of our kids picking up drugs or sharps. Our job today is to get the message out to the community that we all can be a participant in getting this horrendous issue resolved and addressed in our communities.?

At Doylestown Health, the new sharp collection box is located just inside the doors at the emergency department and next to the prescription drug drop off box.

?It?s very simple. No one has to say who they are,? said Brexler. ?They just drop off and walk and it?s all taken care of by the DA?s office in terms of police very safely and very appropriately, but most importantly we all can do something to make a difference in this addiction scenario that has taken place.?

Kimberly Everett, the executive director of BCHIP, said this collaboration is what BCHIP is about - bringing hospitals and the community together.

?The sharp boxes were identified as a need in our community. The county responded and was able to secure the resources that we needed. I was very proud to bring that forward to our CEOs, all of whom responded very positively. We are very happy to have this resource for our community."

In 2010, the council, through a partnership with the DA?s office, began collecting unused, unneeded and unwanted medications from Bucks County residents.

?Every one of those hospitals also has a permanent medication box so it is one stop shopping for community members,? said Diane Rosati, the director of the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Council.

"Residents now understand that they have to rid their homes of unused medications to help keep the community and the environment safe," said Rosati. "We have collected more than 180,000 pounds of medication with Bucks County leading the entire Commonwealth in the volume of medication collection. We are so proud of that.?

Rosati commended BCHIP and the five hospitals for making it happen. She also commended county leadership, which was represented at the event by Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo.

?This is just a terrible disease - this disease of addiction,? said DiGirolamo. ?We keep fighting. We keep battling. That?s why we are here today. This is another arrow in the quiver collecting these sharps. This disease and these deaths seem to be getting worse and worse, but we can?t give up hope. We have to keep fighting. We thank the hospitals for helping. This is big deal. This is going to save lives and it?s going to help the residents of Bucks County.?