Novant Health will participate in a biannual National Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, when the public is encouraged to drop off unused or expired prescription medications at one of several locations.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 17 percent of misused medications come from a provider-written prescription, meaning the remaining 83 percent are from prescriptions for a friend or relative, from a drug dealer or from another source.

It is unlawful for controlled-substance prescriptions to be transferred to someone other than the patient for whom it was prescribed, and doing so may cause harm.

The Take-Back Day is an opportunity for the community to help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.

Hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Salisbury, in the lobby of the retail pharmacy at 911 W. Henderson St., Suite L20.

The following are other take-back locations in the region:

• Winston-Salem: 255 Charlois Blvd.; 3333 Silas Creek Parkway, pharmacy lobby.

• Charlotte: 200 Hawthorne Lane, pharmacy lobby.

 

For people who can’t participate in National Drug Take-Back Day, Novant Health also offers collection receptacles year-round at Novant pharmacies in the following locations:

• Rowan Medical Center, 612 Mocksville Ave., Salisbury.

• Forsyth Medical Center, 3333 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem.

• Presbyterian Medical Center, 200 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte.

• Winston-Salem Health Care, 250 Charlois Blvd., Winston-Salem.

• Mountainview Medical, 216 Moore Road, King.                                                  

• Thomasville Medical Center, 207 Old Lexington Road, Thomasville.