Local Pharmacy Partners with WA Health Care Authority to Prevent Opioid Misuse
Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 7, 2026
The Pharmacy Safe Storage Program is providing patients with free medication locking bags to help prevent opioid misuse and accidental overdose.
In Clallam County, two pharmacies are participating in this effort. North Olympic Healthcare Network in Port Angeles and Chinook Pharmacy in Forks are among 82 pharmacies statewide involved in Washington’s Pharmacy Safe Storage Program, which is part of the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Starts with One opioid misuse prevention campaign.
About four in 10 people who misuse pain relievers, including prescription opioids, obtain them from a friend or family member (SAMHSA, 2024). Using a locking bag to store prescriptions can help prevent theft of medications in a patient’s home or while traveling. Safe storage also protects young children from accidental ingestion and poisoning.
Locking up medications is a simple way to help prevent opioid misuse and overdose. However, a 2025 HCA study found that only 47% of Washingtonians surveyed report locking up their prescription opioids. The Pharmacy Safe Storage Program aims to close that gap by increasing awareness and access to safe storage tools.
“Educating our patients about medication safety is a responsibility we take seriously,” said Daiana Huyen, director of pharmacy for North Olympic Healthcare Network. “By participating in this program, we’re providing our patients with the information and tools they need to lock up their medications and to help keep their loved ones and neighbors safe.”
In addition to providing locking bags, pharmacists speak with patients about the importance of safe storage and ask them to commit to locking up their opioid prescriptions. This approach, the first of its kind in the country, is based on behavior change research showing that people who make a commitment to take a specific action are significantly more likely to follow through.
“Preventing opioid misuse starts with reducing access to unused or unsecured medications,” said Teesha Kirschbaum, director of HCA’s Behavioral Health and Recovery. “Pharmacists are highly trusted, accessible health care providers, and this program helps turn everyday interactions into meaningful moments of prevention.”
The annual Pharmacy Safe Storage Program launched in March and will run through June, while supplies last. In the first month of this year’s program, participating pharmacies distributed 703 locking bags, held 754 conversations about opioid safe storage, and secured 427 commitments from patients to lock up medications.
To learn more about the Starts with One campaign, visit GetTheFactsRX.com.
