Optima Health and Verde Environmental Technologies Inc. launch new initiative to encourage safe medication disposal
Optima Health, a health plan service of Sentara Healthcare, and Verde Environmental Technologies Inc., maker of the Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal System, announced a new partnership to pilot the distribution of at-home drug deactivation and disposal pouches.
“This is the first such partnership in the country between a health plan and Verde Environmental Technologies to distribute the Deterra Pouches on such a large scale,” said Alicia Gerald, Vice President of Government Programs–Medicare, Optima Health. “Optima Health is proud to provide this service to communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and in North Carolina.”
Starting in July 2022, Deterra at-home drug deactivation and disposal pouches will be available to patients at more than 60 Sentara Family & Internal Medicine Physicians offices and Sentara surgical locations in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Surgical providers will also dispense pouches to patients during their first post-op surgery visit, and Optima Health will hand out pouches at various community events.