Medications
If the pharmacy vendor your facility utilizes offers a Reverse Distributor service, this is the preferred method of medication disposal. For facilities that have a Modified Class IIB Institutional Pharmacy Permit, the method of disposal should be by Reverse Distributor or as determined by your facility’s Consultant Pharmacist and medical staff. For facilities that do not have the Modified Class IIB Institutional Pharmacy Permit, the method of disposal should be via flushing or the sewer system. In the case of controlled medications (e.g. Narcotics), this must be done by a three-party witness, and must be destroyed beyond reclamation, per FAC 64B16, by a Pharmacist, Nursing Supervisor, and administrator or designee, and should be done via sewer. Disposal by placing in cat litter and disposing in the trash is not recommended because medications are to be destroyed beyond reclamation to avoid any possible diversion of medications in the correctional setting.
Yes. The forced (involuntary) administration of medication is not permitted under any circumstances. Each facility must develop a Medication Refusal form or utilize the Department’s Right to Refuse Care form. This form should be completed each time a youth refuses care.
If no licensed nurses are on-site to administer oral prescription medications or Over-the-Counter medications, then non-licensed direct care staff assist youth with the self-administration of their medications. All non-licensed direct care staff that have this responsibility are required by the department to have the appropriate training, conducted by a Registered Nurse or higher licensure level, and verified as competent to provide medications to youth who are administering their own medications. All facilities must have operating procedures in place that include the training of non-licensed staff whose responsibilities include these duties.