Putnam County’s Medication Take Back Day A Success

PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y.

The Putnam Communities That Care Coalition, the Putnam County Department of Health, and the Putnam Sheriff’s Department joined forces to facilitate National Medication Take Back Day at The Putnam County Sherriff’s Department on April 24, 2021.

The national drug take back initiative is a bi-annual event coordinated through the DEA. The event provides a safe, convenient, and anonymous means of disposing prescription, over the counter and pet medications, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse. The drive through, socially distanced event was attended by over 120 individuals from Putnam, Westchester, Orange, Dutchess, and Fairfield counties. Over 450 lbs. of medication was recovered. The collection of unused medications is one way we can keep our community safe and is closely aligned with the HEALing Communities Study that Putnam County is participating in. The overall goal of the study is to reduce opioid overdose deaths in Putnam County over a three-year period. For more information on the study, please visit: https://healingcommunitiesstudy.org/communities/nyputnam.html

In addition to the collection of over 450 lbs. of medication, The Putnam Communities That Care Coalition distributed FREE Deterra Drug Deactivation kits to all attendees. Volunteers from our Communities That Cares Coalitions helped to facilitate the smooth running of the event and provided information, and resources, for year-round disposal at local drop boxes.