Program Spotlight: San Mateo County

In 2004, Adrienne Tissier found herself sorting through a large quantity of unused prescription drugs, leftover when her father passed away. A year later, when she became a Supervisor in San Mateo County (CA), one of her first priorities was to establish a drug take-back program in the county. To test public need and support for such a program, Tissier worked with the county’s Environmental Health Services Division to put on a one-time event during Earth Week in 2005. During that week, 13 cities in San Mateo County collected 235 pound of unused medicine.

Because the program was so heavily utilized during that week in 2005, Tissier set out to launch a county-wide program. She recruited the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sherriff’s Association to establish a program that offered a convenient, cost-effective, and legal means of disposal for county residents. The San Mateo County Pharmaceutical Disposal Program officially launched during the week of September 18, 2008. The program has three primary goals:

• 1. Help seniors avoid potentially dangerous medication dosage errors
• 2. Help reduce or prevent recreational pharmaceutical use
• 3. Help stop the continuing contamination of the environment

As of January 2009, 12 area law enforcement agencies were managing 13 drop-off sites. Participating agencies include Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, Daly City, Hillsborough, Millbrae, Pacifica, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo (also serves Foster City), and South San Francisco. Sheriffs’ Offices include Redwood City and Moss Beach (also serves El Granada).
Since its inception, the program has collected 7.25 tons of unused medications. The county allocates $25,000 annually for the program, which covers costs of purchasing and outfitting the drop boxes, personnel, and pick-up and disposal of collected drugs by an outside vendor.

The program has been awarded the 2008 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (California’s highest environmental honor), and the 2007 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties.

Recently, the program was reviewed by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury, which found the program to be a convenient alternative to flushing medications down the drain, and commended the program for its success despite minimal marketing efforts. The jury recommended expanding the program to more cities in the county, as well as exploring options to put drop boxes in more locations, such as pharmacies and senior centers.

To learn more about San Mateo County’s Prescription Disposal Program, visit the program’s website. The Civil Grand Jury’s report is also available online.