DID YOU KNOW?

• 24 million opioid pills were prescribed and filled in San Mateo County.
• 46% of parents reported having leftover prescription medicine at home according to a U.S. poll.
• 85.8% of respondents, in a U.S. study, did not know the correct way to dispose of medications.

           Source: CDC.gov and San Mateo Rx Opioid Safe

PILOT PROJECT

In July 2025, Peninsula Health Care District launched a pilot campaign to raise awareness of how to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, and expired medications and other drugs in the home.

Through a comprehensive education and evidence-based prevention strategy, our goal is to prevent accidental poisoning, misuse, and diversion of unused medications and other drugs that may be in the household.

For this pilot, we partnered with Deterra to send out a mailer, which includes:

• Deterra pouch (capacity to deactivate up to 45 pills)
• Targeted educational messages about safe medication storage and disposal
• Information on how to access phone, text, and online resources for Prevention, Recovery & Treatment and Crisis Support
• Survey link to measure ease of use of the Deterra pouch

RESOURCES

Prevention, Recovery & Treatment

allcove San Mateo, Youth Substance Use Prevention & Education: 650-226-7030

San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Access Call Center: 800-686-0101

SAMHSA Helpline: 800-662-4357

Crisis Support

Poison Control: 800-222-1222

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 (talk & text), 988lifeline.org (chat)