For National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, The Hamilton County Coalition collaborated with the Drug Enforcement Administration, local law enforcement and community partners to provide 24 prescription drug drive-thru drop-off locations across the Chattanooga-area that was open from 10am-2pm ET. The public was invited to drop-off any unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications at any location with little to no human contact. The medications were then safely disposed of to better the safety of our communities and environment. The event was free, safe and confidential.
The Hamilton County Coalition also hosted in-person English and Spanish Opioid Overdose Prevention Trainings on Saturday, October 24 that was free to the public. The trainings began at 11 a.m. ET and followed guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two separate trainings were at Greater New Home Baptist Church (2809 13th Ave.). One training was for English speakers and the other was for Spanish speakers. Free boxes of non-perishable food was available to participants of the trainings at Greater New Home Baptist Church.
A third training was at Elk’s Lodge (1067 Graysville Rd.) for English speakers. All participants of the trainings were encouraged to wear a mask or facial covering. Participants were also spread out with people from the same household being allowed to sit together. Participants of this life-saving training: - Learned to identify the signs of an overdose - Learned who to contact if there is a suspected overdose - Learned what to do in those critical moments - Learned about alternative pain management and treatment resources - Received an overdose reversal kit with two units of Nasal Narcan Spray — the life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
Medication lockboxes and Deterra Drug Deactivation pouches were also available and free to the public at drop-off locations. Two document shredding locations were also set-up in Chattanooga to allow any personal documents to be properly disposed of. One location was at the Walgreens on Gunbarrel Road, and the other was at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church on Highway 58.
Last October’s National Drug Take Back Day saw nearly 1,500 lbs. of prescription medication be properly disposed of in the Chattanooga-area. The entire state of Tennessee collected over 26,000 lbs. October 2020 National Drug Take Back Day Locations - Mt. Canaan Baptist Church - 4801 Hwy 58 - Elks Lodge - 1069 Graysville Rd. - Greater New Home Baptist Church – 2809 13th Ave. - Walmart - Signal Mtn. Rd. - CVS Pharmacy (Jasper, Marion) - 4712 Main St. - Signal Mtn. Police Department- 1111 Ridgeway Ave. - Walgreens - Soddy Daisy - 121 Harrison Lane - Food City - Red Bank - 3901 Dayton Blvd. - Walgreens - Brainerd - 3605 Brainerd Rd. - Walgreens - East Brainerd - 2289 Gunbarrel Rd. - Walgreens - East Ridge - 5301 Ringgold Rd. - Walgreens – Ooltewah - 9307 Lee Hwy. - Walgreens – Hixson - 5478 Hwy. 153 - Walgreens – Rossville - 3550 Broad St. - Walmart - Dunlap (Sequatchie) - 16773 Rankin Ave. - Walgreens – McCallie - 2104 McCallie Ave. - Walgreens - Dunlap (Sequatchie) - 14857 Rankin Ave. - Walmart - Dayton (Rhea) - 3034 Rhea County Hwy. - Spring City City Hall/Police Department - Spring City (Rhea) - 229 Front St. - Meigs County Sheriff’s Department - Decatur (Meigs) - 410 River Rd. - Dayton Police Department - (Rhea) - 1191 Market St. - Graysville Police Department - (Rhea) - 136 Harrison Ave. - Bledsoe County Courthouse. 3150 Maine Street Pikeville TN 37367 - Etowah Police Department - (McMinn) - 1317 South TN Ave. About Hamilton County Coalition
Hamilton County Coalition is a Regional Coalition Resource focused upon empowering communities and reducing the risk of alcohol, tobacco and Rx drug misuse and abuse among youth and adults in Chattanooga and the Southeast Region. As the regional hub, the HCC provides free services to include environmentally friendly ways of disposing of unwanted mediation, medication lock boxes, opioid overdose reversal training, free naloxone, and assistance with opioid treatment, family counseling and recovery services. For more information, visit https://www.hccoalition.org/ or visit our Facebook page.