On March 6, 2013, the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division (HMWMD) of CDPHE mailed out packets of information to the administrator of every licensed LTCF in Colorado regarding the proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste. CDPHE's goal is for all LTCFs in Colorado to be in compliance with solid and hazardous waste regulations regarding pharmaceutical waste disposal by September 1, 2013.
To help reach that goal, the HMWMD is offering free on-site compliance assistance to LTCFs that request a site visit. The site visit usually takes 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours and any violations found during that time are immune from escalating enforcement or penalties as long as the deficiencies do not present an imminent threat (very unlikely) and are corrected by the agreed-upon time frames. This is a great way to ask all your questions about disposal in a collaborative and educational setting and/or to see if the system you have set up is in compliance. We recommend that you have the following people available during the site visit:
- Administrator
- Director of Nursing
- Facilities Director
- Consulting Pharmacist (if possible)
If you have more questions or would like to request a site visit please contact Lillian Gonzalez at lillian.gonzalez@state.co.us or Dan Goetz at daniel.goetz@state.co.us.
From: Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
This blog publishes information typically sent to users of the Colorado Health Facilities Interactive (COHFI) system for health care entities regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Please note that COHFI is the official medium for business communication between the Department and licensed and/or Medicare/Medicaid certified health care entities. Health care entities should continue to monitor their email accounts routinely.
