East Hartford Police & Health Departments Announce DEA’s 22nd Take Back Day
East Hartford, CT- With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, East Hartford Police and the East Hartford Health Department announce the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 22nd Take Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 29th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Hartford Public Safety Complex, 31 School Street, East Hartford.
The Town of East Hartford Health Department will be giving away Narcan® (naloxone) kits and providing education around:
• Signs of an overdose
• Overdose response
• How and when to administer naloxone.
Supplies are limited and kits will be available on a first come, first serve basis. One kit per household. For questions about this event or to speak with a public health nurse, please contact the Health Department at 860-291-7324.
At its last Take Back Day in April, DEA collected a high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 360 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 7,995 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.
The public can drop off potentially dangerous prescription medications at the East Hartford Public Safety Complex, 31 School Street, East Hartford. Officials will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs, and will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off locations provided lithium batteries are removed. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.
Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is one of many ways East Hartford Police and East Hartford Health is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths.
Learn more about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back Day initiative at www.DEATakeBack.com or www.easthartfordct.gov/police-department.