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Starting in 2015, Hennepin County, Minnesota’s largest county and home to Minneapolis, began seeing a sharp increase in its number of opioid-related deaths annually. In 2016, overdoses even surpassed motor vehicle accidents in cause of death in the county, with 202 overdoses, many involving opioids, compared to 73 motor vehicle deaths.
The county’s communities of color have been particularly hard hit. Between 2011-2018, opioid deaths for African American residents increased 119%, and 100% for American Indian residents.1
To help fight this deadly epidemic, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) developed STOP (Survival Through Overdose Prevention). This program aims to address the opioid crisis on multiple fronts, including treating those struggling with opioid use disorder in jails, law enforcement carrying naloxone and public education.
“The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to stopping the spread of opioid use and curbing this epidemic,” says Sheriff David Hutchinson.
Encouraging proper medication disposal has been a key part of HCSO’s efforts to keep opioids out of the wrong hands. For the last six years, the sheriff’s office has distributed Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal Pouches to help people safely dispose of excess or expired medications in their homes.
It’s estimated that up to 92% of post-surgical prescriptions go unused, and more than 60% of people with leftover opioids choose to keep them for future use rather than dispose of them. Today Americans have a plethora of unused medication sitting in home medicine cabinets, ripe for misuse, making proper drug disposal a key prevention strategy to combat the opioid crisis.
HCSO distributes Deterra Pouches to local residents through a variety of grassroots efforts, like the Minnesota State Fair, National Night Out, lobby kiosks, local drug take back events, and sheriff town halls. Deputies also carry the pouches in their squad cars to hand out while on patrol.
Even during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, HCSO found a way to connect with the community through a program where residents could request pouches mailed to their homes. “This really helped bridge the gap when community gatherings were cancelled and no one was able to access our lobbies,” says Dillon Gherna, Public Initiatives Coordinator for HCSO.
To date, HCSO has distributed more than 50,000 pouches to county residents and through partner agencies, enough to destroy 2.25 million medications.
“The Deterra Pouches are a great tool and well-received by community members and law enforcement partners alike,” Gherna says. “They help to create a positive engagement experience between community and law enforcement. What’s more, the pouches remove some barriers to proper medication disposal, such as those who may have some level of disability or are otherwise unable to access medication disposal sites.”
At the end of the day, Gherna says, “If we can make it as easy as possible for people to properly dispose of unused medication at home, we believe it will reduce avenues to overdose and misuse.”
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.
