Washington Safe Medication Return updates

Updates from SMR 3rd quarter 2023 meeting: 
Current Coverage: Only 2 of Washington’s 281 population centers have no Safe Medication Return (SMR) service: Elmer City and Krupp. Program operators are continuing efforts to establish kiosk hosts or mailer distributors in these areas and in other population centers where they have not yet met kiosk requirements. Please encourage your contacts to participate. 

  • If they would like to participate as a kiosk host or mailer distributor, encourage them to contact takeback@inmar.com and/or washington@med-project.org. (Only retail pharmacies, clinics and hospitals with on-site pharmacies, law enforcement, substance use disorder treatment programs, and long term care facilities are allowed to host kiosks. Any organization regularly open to the public may be added as a mailer distributor.) 
  • If they have concerns, please let them know they can contact safemedreturn@doh.wa.gov or 360-236-4698.  

The department is close to approving an Inmar direct mail campaign that will provide mailers directly to households in the four population centers with no Inmar services: Elmer City, Krupp, Lamont, and Lyman. 

Policy change related to kiosk access/convenience: Safe Medication Return kiosks must be unlocked when the authorized collector (kiosk host) is open to the public unless the kiosk is full. This is a change in policy and not all kiosk hosts may be aware of it yet. Please contact safemedreturn@doh.wa.gov or 360-236-4698 if you notice any kiosk that appears to be locked and not full. This helps assist program operators to make sure all kiosk hosts understand their responsibilities related to Safe Medication Return.