Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi (NHCCC) now offers Drug Take Back to help patients fight back against the dangers of unneeded, unused, and expired drugs.

"Patients often do not know what to do with unused medications and the FDA has not provided specific guidance for medications other than controlled substances," said Lt. David Vera, NHCCC pharmacy officer. "By providing this service, we ensure that medications are disposed of properly. Some of the benefits of this program include a decreased risk of medication errors and drug diversion, inadvertent disclosure of private identifiable information, and protecting the environment from contamination with pharmaceutical waste. As always, this is offered at zero cost to our beneficiaries."

Clinic patients may obtain pre-paid envelopes from the clinic's pharmacy, complete with disposal directions. Simply remove identifiable information from the medication's label, drop the container in the envelope, seal it, and mail it for free.

Patients can properly dispose of both prescription and over-the-counter medications using these envelope mailers.

Practicing good drug disposal habits protects you, your family, and your community. Learn more about the Military Health System's Drug Take Back efforts by visiting http://www.tricare.mil/drugtakeback/.

NHCCC and its Naval Branch Health Clinics (NBHC) Kingsville and Fort Worth provide ambulatory care services to approximately 13,141 enrolled patients comprised of military active duty, their family members, retirees, and their family members in south Texas and Dallas/Fort Worth. In addition, the command's detachment in San Antonio provides primary care services to Navy students at the Medical Education and Training Campus at Fort Sam Houston, and case management services and medical board management to Navy and Marine Corps Wounded, Ill, and Injured (WII) warriors at San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC).

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, visit http://www.navy.mil/.