Minneapolis VA Health Care System

The Minneapolis VA onsite medication take back program is free to our Veterans, their family members and our staff. The medication disposal containers are located at the outpatient entrance and the first floor flag atrium.

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System (VAHCS) is starting a new safety initiative to help Veterans, their families and VA staff safely dispose of unwanted and unneeded medications. Beginning Friday, January 24, 2020, the Minneapolis VA Medical Center will have two onsite containers for the disposal of controlled substance medications such as opioids, non-controlled substance prescription medications and over-the-counter medications.

The medication disposal containers, located at the outpatient entrance and the first floor flag atrium, are blue metal boxes with the word "medsafe" on the front. Minneapolis VAHCS onsite medication take-back program is free to our Veterans, their family members and our staff.

Increasingly, prescription drug abuse is recognized as a public health problem in the United States. Over 6% of people aged 12 and older have misused prescription medications in the last year. Misuse of medications such as opioids, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants and other medications can lead to serious behavioral and other health problems, addiction and even death.

According to the VA Center for Medication Safety:

• 62% of teenagers who abuse prescription drugs abuse them because they are easy to find around a family member’s house
• More than one-quarter of people who started abusing drugs in the past year began by abusing prescription medications
• 78 people die every day of opioid-related overdoses
• Unintentional death from prescription medication overdose has surpassed deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the U.S.

Medication take-back programs such as the one at the Minneapolis VAHCS can help reduce the risk for these and other serious consequences of prescription medication misuse and abuse. 

Suicide is an important public health problem and suicide rates are linked to the availability of lethal means. As part of this model, there is increasing support for reducing the availability of lethal means to prevent suicide. The installation of a medication disposal container is just one intervention designed to support means reduction.

For patients receiving care at our VA Community Clinics or sites outside of the main medical center, other options are available. TakeAway envelopes are available through pharmacy and at our VA Community Clinics for mailing back unwanted or unneeded medications. Take-back containers are also located at many community sites. To find nearby community sites for medication take-back containers, visit the FDA Drug Disposal website.