The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will host a prescription drug take-back day on July 21, which will also double as a senior citizen health fair.
“Do you have old prescription medications that you need to safely discard? If so, please join us and our partners at the upcoming Drug Take-Back and Shred Event at the Senior Health Fair on July 21, 2023!” the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. “Help us keep unused, expired medications from getting stolen or misused as well as discarded in our community’s water system.”
The event will occur at the North River Civic Center in Hixson from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The flyer for the event lists several other resources, mostly aimed at senior citizens. They include:
- COVID-19 Vaccinations
- Sepsis Education
- Stroke Prevention Education
- Blood Pressure Screening
- Glucose Screening
Each year, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) hosts a national drug take-back day. Last year’s was in October.
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) urged Tennesseans to remove their unneeded prescription medications last year.
“Whether it’s a recent surgery, dental procedure, or clearing out a home after the death of a loved one, there are so many situations where people have mass quantities of medications just sitting around. Safe and secure disposal through Take Back Day events is just about the easiest way we all can have an impact on substance use and addiction in our communities,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW at the time. “And with deadly doses of illicit fentanyl being pressed into counterfeit pills, there’s never been a more important time to take back your medications so that young people never begin experimenting with medications they find in the home.”
Tennesseeans are welcome to surrender unused and unwanted prescription medicines at any time at prescription disposal locations, which can be found at many pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses.
The state has a map of all those locations, which can be viewed here.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
