BOXBOROUGH, Mass. & FORD CITY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sterilis, LLC, the innovator in regulated medical waste management, today announced that Klingensmith’s Neighborly Drug Stores, the preferred neighborhood drug store serving Pennsylvania counties Armstrong, Clarion and Indiana, has implemented Sterilis’ breakthrough medical waste remediation solution at eight of its regional locations. Klingensmith’s is the first and only drug store chain in the United States to provide a program that allows patients to safely dispose of their prescription needles at their local drug store, where the needles can be safely remediated onsite.
Klingensmith’s and Sterilis executives, joined by local elected officials, unveiled the Sterilis device during a community-wide event at the Klingensmith’s Ford City, Pa. location today. The Sterilis solution is now installed at Klingensmith’s Ford City, West Kittanning, New Bethlehem, and Rimersburg locations. Customers of the drug store chain’s four other locations – Leechburg, Kittanning, NuMine and Shelocta – will all have access to the Sterilis device as well.
Since 1940, Klingensmith’s Drug Stores has provided holistic care for its patients built around personalized service – not just dispensing medication, but also offering patients valuable advice and serving them with honesty. Adding Sterilis devices at its locations enables Klingensmith’s to offer patients a safe, responsible method for disposing of their used syringes, helping to keep the local communities safer.
The patented Sterilis device uses steam sterilization and grinding technology to transform medical waste, including used needles and sharps, into a harmless confetti-like material that can be disposed of in the regular trash. The Sterilis method of waste disposal reduces toxic air pollution created when RMW is incinerated, which is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions. The device requires no fixtures or plumbing and can be plugged into a standard electrical outlet.
“In today’s competitive retail pharmacy sector, our true differentiator is the fact that we are local, we know our customers well and we do everything we can to serve their healthcare needs,” said Dave Cippel, president at Klingensmith’s Drug Stores. “By adopting Sterilis’ medical waste remediation and disposal system, Klingensmith’s is now able to provide the full circle of care to patients who require at-home needle injection medications. From getting their prescription, taking their used needles and storing them in a regulated, safe container and finally dropping containers at our stores for proper disposal, we can ensure the patients and communities we serve are significantly safer and healthier.”
“The name Klingensmith’s is synonymous with great customer service,” said Jeff Bell, founder and president of Sterilis. “We applaud them for taking this big, bold and necessary step to do what’s right. By establishing this program to take back used syringes and remediate them onsite with the Sterilis system, Klingensmith’s has become a model for other businesses dispensing syringe-based medications to follow.”
With the added benefit of used needle disposal, patients receiving at-home care prescriptions that require injections through Klingensmith’s Neighborly Drug Stores can get their medication and a sharps container to ensure they are safely and properly storing and disposing of used needles. Once the container is full, patients can bring it to the nearest Klingensmith’s store and drop off the sharps container at the pharmacy, and the pharmacist will dispose of it via Sterilis.
To learn more about Klingensmith’s Drug Stores and the services it provides, please visit www.klingensmiths.com/.
To learn more about Sterilis, LLC, please visit the company online at www.sterilismedical.com.
About Klingensmith’s Neighborly Drug Stores
Klingensmith’s
Drug Stores is a family-owned regional drug store chain operating eight
pharmacy locations in Armstrong, Clarion and Indiana counties in Western
Pa. The company was founded in 1940 by J. Henry Klingensmith who owned
and operated the flagship location in Ford City, Pa, which remains the
company headquarters. Klingensmith’s prides itself as a provider of
healthcare to its patients in the rural communities it serves by
offering immunizations, medication adherence programs, free home
delivery and now a unique onsite needle/syringe disposal program. The
company employs 130 people with annual payroll $3.6M.
About Sterilis
Sterilis, LLC has developed a patented technology that converts regulated medical waste into harmless, confetti-like material that can be thrown out with the regular trash. Sterilis devices are American-made in Springfield, Massachusetts and are in use at customer sites in healthcare, public safety (fire and police departments) and aviation. Sterilis devices provide ease of use, safety, convenience, environmental sustainability and cost saving benefits, all in one device. The company is privately-held and headquartered in Boxborough, Mass.
