Gallia County Sheriff’s Office, Gallia County Citizens for Prevention and Recovery (CPR), and Holzer Health System were proud to offer a recent Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26 at the Holzer Gallipolis Campus. October 26 was recognized as National Drug Take Back Day, which is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired drugs. The community turned in 61 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter medication during the event.
National Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
“I would like to thank Holzer Health System for working with my office to conduct the drug take back event,” shared Gallia County Sheriff Matt Champlin. “Based upon the turnout and the feedback we received from our citizens at the event, we believe it was a huge success. We look forward to conducting these events in the future to continue to provide this service for the public we serve.”
Vendors at the event included Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board, Holzer Family Pharmacy, Gallia County Sheriff’s Office, and Holzer Community Outreach. Items accepted during the event included: outdated/unused prescriptions, over the counter medications and sharps.
“This event was a great success,” shared Nick Hopkins, PharmD, Manager, Holzer Family Pharmacy – Gallipolis. “The amount of medications and sharps (needles and syringes) we collected is going to increase patient safety and reduce the risk of using medications or sharps inappropriately by getting those medications out of the home. I can’t wait to see the success of the program in the future.”
“Holzer is proud to partner with the local agencies to host Drug Take Back Day,” shared Karrie Davison, Sr. Public Relations and Communications Coordinator, Holzer Health System. “Participants were very appreciative of the event and we look forward to hosting additional community-focused events.”
The next National Drug Take Back Day will be Spring 2020. Holzer Health System will plan to collaborate with participants to provide another event at that time. Look for more information to be shared via social media channels.