Addressing Pharmaceuticals In Our Water Systems

1
Addressing Pharmaceuticals In Our Water Systems

• Recommendations for establishing communication
  with local hospice providers to educate the
  community about proper disposal

Provided by the Georgia Association for Water
Professionals
2
Pharmaceuticals In Our Effluent

• An area of growing concern
• We cant fix the problem now but we can work to
  reduce the load coming into to our plants
• Address what you can and help prevent the
  practice of flushing medications through
  education
• GAWP has established a partnership with hospice
  providers developed a toolkit to assist

3
Hospice Disposal Mandate

• Required to destroy all controlled substances
  when a patient no longer requires the medication
• Drugs can not be donated due to potential
  contamination issues
• Disposal needs to be low cost, quick, safe,
  undisruptive, and legal

4
Pharmaceutical Disposal

• Hospice providers follow guidelines from the
  federal government
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• FDA publishes a flush list
• Contradicting messages have led some
  organizations to flush everything to ensure
  compliance

5
Why Flush?

• No cost
• Quick
• Eliminates concern over diversion
  (abuse/illegal sales)
• Prevents accidental poisoning
• Unaware of concerns associated with flushing

6
Partnership with GHPCO

• GHPCO GA Hospice Palliative Care Organization
• Member organization for hospice industry
  (like GAWP for water industry)
• Actively working across GA, reaching local
  hospice providers with education advocacy
• Partnering with GAWP to discourage flushing

7
Reaching Out to Hospice

• GAWPs Hospice Tool Kit for water utilities
• Pharmaceutical Disposal Fact Sheet
• Pharmaceutical Disposal Method
• Proper Drug Disposal Presentation
• Pharmaceutical Disposal How-to Video
• Call for Volunteers

8
Establishing A Partnership

• Visit GHPCOs online provider list to locate
  providers operating in your jurisdiction
• Contact the Director of Nursing
• Offer to facilitate an education session on
  proper drug disposal for their staff

9
Hospice Buy-in

• Hospice providers have internal incentive to
  accept
• your offer to educate staff
• Required to conduct internal periodic reviews of
  their drug disposal policy
• Pharmaceutical disposal policy must be provided
  to all patients
• Drug disposal is part of the state license review
  process covered by during recertification

10
What is an Education Session?

• Ask to be scheduled on their education calendar
• Most hospice providers conduct monthly sessions
• Ask how many people to prepare for
• Ask if you need to bring a laptop and projector
• Education sessions are typically 30-60 minutes
• Verify how much time you have for this
  presentation
• GAWP has developed a presentation materials to
  share with hospice staff

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Needed to Facilitate

• AV Equipment
• Proper Drug Disposal for Hospice Presentation
• Copies of Fact Sheet, Disposal Method Feedback
  Forms
• Example of Pharmaceutical Disposal Kit

12
Another Partnership Opportunity

• Hospice is required to use volunteers
• Water Utilities can help with volunteer
  recruitment by promoting this opportunity with
  staff
• GAWP has developed a call for volunteers that
  member utilities can use to help promote
  assisting local hospice providers

13
Volunteers Needed

• Local hospice providers are seeking support from
  the community to help patients and families
  receiving hospice care. Did you know hospice
  providers are mandated by law to have 5 of
  patient care hours provided by volunteers?
  Volunteer activities such as visiting with
  (reading, crafting) or providing a service for
  (dog walking, yard work) patients are truly
  appreciated by patients and families facing
  life-limiting illness. Hospice providers are
  also specifically looking for veterans to visit
  with veterans receiving hospice care.
• Local water utilities are being encouraged by
  the Georgia Association of Water Professionals to
  reach out to local hospice providers as part of
  our industrys ongoing efforts to educate about
  proper pharmaceutical disposal practices. With
  Hospices ongoing need for volunteers, water
  utilities have a unique opportunity to partner
  with hospice organizations to encourage water
  protection practices and provide support to those
  in our community in need of help.
• Take a minute to consider what you could do to
  assist. To find a hospice provider in your area,
  visit www.ghpco.org and click on the find care
  link. You will see a list by region of
  organizations you can contact. Insert your
  utility here is working with Insert your hospice
  partner organization here. If you are interested
  in volunteering with them, contact insert
  contacts name/phone/email here.

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Help GAWP Start A Movement

• While these materials were developed for hospice,
  they are appropriate for the general public
• GAWP has applied to receive endorsement from the
  GA Board of Pharmacy for these materials
• Help your customers take responsible action to
  prevent pollution locally