Kroger Health/Ralphs Pharmacy and Cardinal Health to Host Drug Take Back Events on Saturday, October 29, 2022

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger/Ralphs, as part of Kroger Health, and Cardinal Health will be working together again to host their annual drug take back events at more than 150 local pharmacy locations across the country. These events will take place on Saturday, October 29, the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

In recent years, the rate of U.S. adults taking prescription drugs has steadily increased, with the most recent data from the Health Policy Institute showing about 66% of U.S. adults are taking prescription drugs¹. With these increases in prescription drug usage, misuse of expired or unused medications is always a concern.

"Ralphs Pharmacy is beyond excited to once again collaborate with Cardinal Health and local law enforcement agencies to provide anonymous, safe and convenient locations to safely dispose of any unused or expired prescription drugs," said Dr. Linh Lee, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy for Ralphs. "This step is one we can all take to help strengthen our communities and help people live healthier lives."

"At Cardinal Health, it's always a priority for us to help lead the fight against prescription medication misuse," said Jessie Cannon, vice president of community relations at Cardinal Health. "We are honored to work with like-minded organizations such as Kroger Health/Ralphs who are committed to improving the health of our communities and reducing prescription medication misuse. By providing centralized locations for community members to dispose of medication safely, we are helping keep our communities safe."

The Drug Take Back event ladders up to Cardinal Health's Generation Rx program, an evidence-informed prevention education program which offers age-appropriate resources to teach others about using medications safely. Generation Rx was founded at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and has been powered through a partnership with Cardinal Health since 2009.

In the Southern California area, drug take back events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local law enforcement officers will be on site to accept unused, unwanted or expired pills, liquids, gels, over-the-counter (OTC) medications and patches (no medications will be accepted inside stores).

Ralphs locations hosting the event include:

• Ralphs #21 located at 1745 Garfield Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030
• Ralphs #147 located at 27760 N. McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91354
• Ralphs #284 located at 10772 Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230
• Ralphs #604 located at 12470 Seal Beach Boulevard, Seal Beach, CA 90740

Every day, Kroger Health/Ralphs pharmacists are available at store locations to educate customers about proper medication use and disposal. In-store pharmacies also offer naloxone – the life-saving medication that helps reverse opioid overdose – and free DisposeRx at-home disposal packets for customers with qualifying prescriptions.

During the events, Kroger Health/Ralphs pharmacy associates will distribute free reusable totes with DisposeRx at-home medication disposal packets, mental health resources and Generation Rx materials (note: quantities are limited).

Cardinal Health has joined Kroger Health in hosting drug take back events across the U.S. for several years.  More than 115,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs have been collected for safe disposal during these events. To view the complete list of Kroger Health drug take back event locations across the country, visit Kroger.com.

Ralphs Grocery Company is dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are more than 18,000 associates serving customers in 184 supermarkets across Southern California. From the company's headquarters in Los Angeles County, Ralphs is a recognized leader in community service and giving. The company supports Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative aimed at ending hunger in our communities and eliminating waste within our company by the year 2025. Ralphs is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the world's largest retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our website at www.ralphs.com.

Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one of America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14 million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners - from pharmacists and nurse practitioners to dietitians and technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives. We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling "food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. For more information, visit https://www.krogerhealth.com.

Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of performance and data solutions for health care facilities. With 50 years in business, operations in more than 30 countries and approximately 46,500 employees globally, Cardinal Health is essential to care. Information about Cardinal Health is available at cardinalhealth.com.

¹ Prescription drugs. Health Policy Institute. (2019, February 13). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://hpi.georgetown.edu/rxdrugs/

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company