- (952) 299-5539
- Login
- Create User Account
The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities (the Alliance), which supports 21 coalitions in Oakland County, Mich., recently implemented a zero-barrier access program to make overdose prevention tools accessible to all community members.
Across Oakland County, 102 “Save A Life” stations provide free access to lifesaving resources like naloxone, fentanyl testing strips and the Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal System. In just nine months, over 5,000 Deterra Pouches have been distributed, and the county has experienced a 36.9% reduction in fatal overdoses and a nearly 20% reduction in non-fatal overdoses.
The 102 Save a Life stations are strategically located across Oakland County in hospitals, recovery centers, community areas and law enforcement stations. Pouches are also distributed to the Alliance’s 21 coalitions and directly to community members.
The Alliance is the first organization in Michigan to provide Deterra for at-home medication deactivation, beginning in early 2016. Since then, the Alliance has integrated at-home medication deactivation and disposal into innovative programming for youth, seniors and the wider community.
“Everything we do is data-driven and very collaborative,” says Julie Brenner, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance. “We work together with schools, law enforcement, senior centers, and peer navigators to connect people to overdose prevention tools like Deterra and naloxone.”
Brenner notes that, in addition to preventing misuse and overdoses, Deterra has a positive impact on the environment by preventing unused drugs from entering landfills and waterways
Oakland County has seen a 36.9% decrease in overdose deaths since 2024. The average Save a Life station receives 50 Deterra Large Pouches (LP) monthly – enough to safely deactivate and destroy up to 500,000 unused and unwanted pills annually.
The Alliance, which is funded through community mental health authorities and federal grants, has become a model for other organizations combating substance misuse and conducts trainings in multiple states to share its programming and best practices.
The Alliance has made an immense impact in Oakland County and Southeast Michigan. The organization continues to explore new and expanded ways to enhance community access to prevention and recovery support.
“We want to make prevention easy and accessible, and we aren’t afraid of trying new things,” says Brenner.
Visit DeterraSystem.com/government to explore how other organizations are using Deterra or reach out to (612) 568-1128 or Sales@DeterraSystem.com to discuss how to implement at-home drug disposal initiatives in your community.
