Anonymous public comment

As a former consumer on behalf of my mother of hospice serves I submit this observation and comment. I witnessed the procedure that the hospice agency we employed, used for discarding unused medications upon my mother's death and the death of each on the patients cared for by this and many other agencies.The procedure is mandatory and the nurse is not allowed to leave the medication for alternative disposal. The agency nurse was told they were to dispose of unused medications the following two ways; 1. flush all medications down the toilet. 2. place all medications into a coffee can ADD BLEACH and place in the trash. Per the RN this is standard operations at many of the Illinois Hospice agencies in the Chicago area and most likely across the nation. Our water in the Chicago area has been noted to contain trace amounts of prescription medication. THis practice must be avoided at once. Policy and law must be enacted to prohibit this daily act of polluting our water ways and drinking water.