THIS SATURDAY: CLINTON FOUNDATION, HOUSTON PLACES OF WORSHIP PARTICIPATING IN NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2019
Contact: press@clintonfoundation.org
THIS SATURDAY: CLINTON FOUNDATION, HOUSTON PLACES OF WORSHIP PARTICIPATING IN NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
Houston faith leaders, convened by the Clinton Foundation’s Opioid Response Network to help fight the opioid epidemic, are driving congregants to disposal locations
HOUSTON, TX – This Saturday, on April 27 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., for the second year in a row places of worship in Houston will participate in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This work is part of the Clinton Foundation’s Opioid Response Network which is mobilizing over 50 leaders from different faiths across the U.S. to address the opioid epidemic through trainings and collaborations to reduce the stigma of addiction and advance prevention, treatment, and recovery in their communities.
Calling on their congregations to dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medications at collection locations, the Clinton Foundation’s faith partners, along with the Council on Recovery, worked with the local Drug Enforcement Agency office to organize several collection locations. Designated collection sites include:
· River Oaks Islamic Center – 3110 Eastside St, Houston, TX 77098
· Mercy Street & Fair Haven (Part of Chapelwood UMC) – 1330 Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77055
· The Council on Recovery – 303 Jackson Hill St, Houston, TX 77007
Houston faith leaders issued a broader call to the community in an op-ed published in the Houston Chronicle. In it, they wrote:
“We all have a role to play in fighting this epidemic and creating a community of support. This is why we — a diverse group of faith leaders from across greater Houston — have come together. Earlier this year we were invited to an ecumenical process addressing the opioid epidemic, convened by the Clinton Foundation, the Institute for Spirituality and Health, and the Council on Recovery. We recognize that addressing this issue will require leaders like us, working across faith traditions, to speak in one collective voice.”
The majority of people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family and friends – including from the home medicine cabinet and unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved or illegally sold. National Prescription Drug Take Back helps to decrease opportunities for misuse by providing a means for proper disposal. It also helps protect the environment because, often, unused prescription drugs are thrown in the trash or flushed which can contaminate the water supply.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an essential preventative event that helps reduce opioid misuse, while increasing community awareness,” said Christian Thrasher, senior director of substance use disorders and recovery at the Clinton Foundation. “We’re grateful for the participation and partnership of our faith network in Houston in taking a lead in addressing the opioid crisis and creating communities of support.”
Those who are unable to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day but would like to help make their homes and communities safer can find information about controlled substance disposal locations that accept unwanted prescription medications from the public year-round.
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