GOUVERNEUR, NY – Kinney Drugs, a 100% employee-owned leading pharmacy chain in New York and Vermont, has partnered with the NYS Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and MED-Project™ to install self-service medication collection kiosks in 22 of its NY stores:
North: Oswego, Lowville, Watertown (Coffeen Street), Gouverneur (Clinton Street), Lake Placid, Potsdam (Maple Street), Malone (Route 11), Plattsburgh (New York Road)
East: Hamilton, Ilion, Richfield Springs, St. Johnsville
West: Auburn (Owasco Street), Lyons
South: Cortland (Clinton Avenue), Moravia
Central: Baldwinsville, East Syracuse (Manlius Center Road), North Syracuse (West Taft Road) Syracuse (Genesee Street, Butternut Street, James Street, Nottingham Road, Lafayette Road)
Anyone, not just Kinney patients can use Kinney’s kiosks to dispose of unneeded medications, including leftover and expired medications. The kiosks accept prescription and over-the-counter medications for both humans and pets, including controlled substances. The kiosks are NOT for disposal of sharps/needles (including EpiPens), medical/biohazardous waste, regular or hazardous household trash, or personal care products. The installation of these units brings Kinney to 30 kiosks in total, as the company had previously installed eight medication collection kiosks in its stores in Barre, Barton, Cambridge, Lyndonville, Newport, Saint Albans, Saint Johnsbury, and Waterbury, Vermont. (See map of locations below and attached.)
The NY installations were completed in time for National Poison Prevention Week (March 20-26), a week dedicated to raising awareness to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) and the Poison Help Hotline (1-800-222-1222). In 2020 (the latest year for which data are available), AAPCC poison centers responded to more than two million human exposure cases, 77% of which were unintentional. Approximately 40% of all poisonings involved prescription and/or over-the-counter medications. In addition, 42% of all poisonings involved children under the age of five. (Data source: AAPCC 2020 Annual Report https://aapcc.org/annual-
“It is crucially important to dispose of medications properly to prevent diversion into the wrong hands or the environment. As a pharmacy, Kinney Drugs is dedicated to keeping people healthy, and these disposal sites provide an easy, convenient way to safely dispose of unwanted medications. As a pharmacist and father, I wholeheartedly support doing everything we can to help keep everyone – especially children – safe from harm,” said John Marraffa, R.Ph., President.
About Kinney Drugs: Founded in Gouverneur, NY in 1903, today the independent, employee-owned company operates 96 stores in New York and Vermont. Kinney Drugs is part of the KPH Healthcare Services family of companies, a national provider of pharmaceutical and healthcare services with complementary businesses in both the retail and commercial segments of the industry. KPH is comprised of eight divisions: (1) Kinney Drugs, a chain of full-service drug stores located throughout New York and Vermont; (2) Health Direct Institutional Pharmacy Services, which serves long-term care and alternative care needs; (3) ProAct, Inc., a pharmacy benefit management company with sales offices throughout the country and a mail-order pharmacy; (4) Noble Health Services, a specialty pharmacy that dispenses medications used to treat complex and chronic diseases; (5) Kinnect™, an on-site clinical care pharmacy; (6) Aristacare, an infusion therapy pharmacy; (7) HomeLife specialized nursing support for in-home infusion services; and (8) Kinney Homecare, a durable medical equipment company. KPH Healthcare Services is an employee-owned company with approximately 4,500 employees that provides the highest quality pharmacy and healthcare services. Every aspect of KPH’s business is guided by the values of excellence, moral responsibility, and community spirit. Learn more at www.kinneydrugs.com.
