Tennesseans, Help Fight the Opioid Epidemic: Participate in National Drug Take-Back Day Oct. 28
21 Oktober 2017 - 4:00PM
Business Wire
BlueCross Health Foundation, Count It! Lock It!
Drop It!® promote medication safety by hosting collection events
across the state
Tennessee residents are invited to bring their unused or expired
prescriptions to one of more than 100 National Prescription Drug
Take-Back Day events being held statewide Saturday, Oct. 28,
between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The events aim to provide safe, convenient locations to dispose
of prescription drugs and other medications and to raise awareness
about the potential risks for abuse and misuse of certain
medications, such as opioids.
More than 15 tons of drugs were collected statewide on the last
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in April.
“More than 1,600 Tennessee residents died as a result of
overdoses in 2016. That’s why it’s important to dispose of unwanted
or expired medications and help keep them out of the wrong hands,”
said Dr. Andrea Willis, chief medical officer of BlueCross
BlueShield of Tennessee.
“Take-back events, which happen twice a year, are a safe,
anonymous and convenient way for Tennesseans to dispose of old or
unneeded medications,” said Kristina Clark, Count It! Lock It! Drop
It! project manager. “Nearly two-thirds of Tennesseans who abuse
prescriptions got them from family or friends. Removing these
medications from your home can help keep you and your loved ones
out of harm’s way.”
The Count It! Lock It! Drop It! program, which expanded
statewide in 2016 with a $1.3 million grant from the BlueCross
BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, encourages community
members to:
- Count It! Count pills once every
two weeks to monitor theft and help ensure medications are taken
properly.
- Lock It! Lock and store them in
a secure place where others would not think to look.
- Drop It! Take unused or expired
medications to drop boxes located in participating law enforcement
offices or pharmacies, or during biannual take-back events.
Tennesseans can find their nearest prescription take-back
location or permanent disposal location online at
countitlockitdropit.org.
About Count It! Lock It! Drop
It!®
Count It! Lock It! Drop It! (CLD) is a comprehensive community
program for prescription drug abuse prevention that began in Coffee
County, Tenn. Today, CLD is actively represented in 62 counties
across Tennessee. For more information, visit
countitlockitdropit.org.
About BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Health Foundation, Inc.
The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc.,
was established in December 2003 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
corporation organized to promote the philanthropic mission of
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. The foundation awards grants
focused on high-impact initiatives across the state, which promote
healthy lifestyle choices and help control health care costs for
all Tennessee residents. Working with civic and economic partners,
the foundation is dedicated to the support of research, innovative
programs and creative approaches to improve the health and quality
of life of Tennesseans for generations to come.
About BlueCross®
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s mission is to provide peace
of mind through better health. Founded in 1945, the
Chattanooga-based company is focused on serving more than 3.4
million members in Tennessee and across the country. BlueCross
BlueShield of Tennessee, Inc., is an independent licensee of the
BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit the
company’s website at bcbst.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171021005007/en/
for BlueCross BlueShield of TennesseeAlison Sexter,
423-535-3134