September 15, 2007
Prescriptions are only for Patients
As a pharmacy team, we continually strive to make sure that the right medications go to the right patients all the time.
We dispense many different types of medications. Some medications help weak hearts, others are used for diabetes. Antibiotics fight infections, and pain medications are used to help patients in pain function normally and have a higher quality of life.
Occasionally we receive reports that patients who are not suffering from pain are getting pain medicines from doctors or other patients by various means. We are trying our hardest to prevent this from happening. Federal law PROHIBITS the transfer of drugs to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed. This message can be found on your prescription labels. If patients do this they run the risk of possibly becoming addicted, losing their jobs, going to jail and in extreme cases even dying. Nothing good can come of this kind of activity. It isn’t good for the individual, the individual’s family, or the community. This is definitely something that we wish to prevent from happening.
We, in the pharmacy, are doing everything we can to take the necessary steps to help stop the flow of these potentially harmful medications from entering the community to be used for any kind of activity other than treating pain. However, we can’t do it alone. We need the help of everyone. This doesn’t just mean doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other hospital staff. This includes everyone who has an interest in seeing our communities thrive. If you know of people abusing, stealing, selling, or buying pain medications the best thing you can do to help prevent this from happening is to contact the authorities. The W.A.A.N.T (Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team) are trained to help keep our communities safe from this type of behavior. Their contact information is: 907-543-0464 (office) or Tip Hotline 800-478-2294.
The information that you give may remain anonymous if you so desire. Any help that we receive in this endeavor will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
—YKHC Pharmacy Team