A western Suffolk hospital is accepting unwanted medicine on Saturday with the hope of keeping it out of the hands of children or working its way into the environment.

St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center on Route 25A in Smithtown will accept unused and expired pharmaceuticals at its annual health fair from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pharmacists will be at the health fair to accept the prescriptions and over the counter drugs, as well as to answer any questions about a medication. No controlled substances or needles will be accepted.

“The medication take-back program is an important step to safeguard our children who might be tempted to experiment with prescription drugs found in their medicine cabinets at home or at a friend’s house,” said Suffolk County Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James). “Abusing prescription drugs has become a very serious problem on Long Island.” 

The program also aims to prevent people from flushing the pills down the toilet, which has environmental consequences, as the chemicals have been found in public drinking water supplies.

For more information about the health fair, call St. Catherine’s Public Affairs Office at 631-862-3780.

Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport has a similar drug disposal program, open daily from Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.