Chester County’s Department of Drug & Alcohol Services (CCDDAS) is spreading community awareness for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, taking place on Saturday, April 22nd. Organized nationwide by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides temporary local sites for safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing prescription drugs, while educating the public about the potential misuse of medications.
In addition to the temporary sites coordinated by the DEA on Drug Take Back Day, Chester County has over 25 permanent disposal locations available every day.
From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 22nd, both temporary and permanent prescription drug disposal sites will be available throughout Chester County. To find a DEA hosted temporary site, go www.dea.gov/takebackday, and to find a Chester County permanent site, go to www.chesco.org/meddrop-off.
Nationally, Drug Take Back Day serves as an opportunity for community members to safely and anonymously dispose of unneeded and/or expired medications or other products typically found in their medicine cabinets such as vitamins, pet medications, and over the counter medications. A list of what is accepted and what is not accepted can be found at www.chesco.org/meddrop-off.
CCDDAS also reminds community members that treatment and other resources for helping someone with a substance use disorder are available.
“Opioid use disorders, as well as other substance use disorders, are still extremely prevalent in Chester County,” said Jamie Johnson, Director of the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services.
“If you, or a loved one are struggling with drugs or alcohol, help is available. Drug and alcohol treatment and support services, which include 12-step meetings and other related supports, are available in Chester County regardless of insurance,” added Johnson.
Accessing the drug and alcohol services will be dependent upon individual coverage. “If you have insurance, including Medicaid, please call the number listed on the back of your insurance card to get information on how to access drug and alcohol services,” notes Johnson. “And if you do not have insurance, please call one of the many agencies in the region that can help.”
Those agencies are:
- Gaudenzia Coatesville (Coatesville) – 610-383-9600
- Mirmont Outpatient (Exton) – 484-565-1130
- Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems (Kennett Square) – 610-388-9225
- Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems (Phoenixville) – 610-935-2290
- Gaudenzia West Chester (West Chester) – 610-429-1414
In addition to treatment services, recovery supports are also available. To locate substance use disorder recovery resources, as well as resources for the family, please see the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services Family Help Book.
For more information on drug and alcohol information and services, visit the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services website at www.chesco.org/drugandalcohol or the Chester County Overdose Prevention Task Force website,www.stopodchesco.org.
