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THIS SATURDAY: NINE HOUSTON PLACES OF WORSHIP PARTICIPATING IN NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY


Houston faith leaders, convened by the Clinton Foundation to help fight the opioid epidemic, are driving congregants to two disposal locations centered at places of worship

HOUSTON, TX – This Saturday, October 27 from 10:00am-2:00pm, nine Houston faith-based leaders will participate in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, calling on their congregations to dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medications at designated locations. Two of these places of worship will serve as disposal locations. The Clinton Foundation, along with the Institute for Spirituality and Health and the Council on Recovery, has convened these faith leaders to be part of an ecumenical process to address the opioid epidemic.

The nine faith leaders and their congregations are:

  • Barbara Williams, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
    *Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church is serving as a disposal location — 3826 Wheeler Ave, Houston*

  • ​Basem Hamid, Wasat Institute, Clear Lake Islamic Center, Islamic Society of Greater Houston, Shadowcreek Muslim Community Center
    *Clear Lake Islamic Center is serving as a disposal location — 17511 El Camino Real, Houston*

  • John K. Graham, Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center

  • Camelia Joseph, The Joseph Group and Kingdom Works

  • Melissa Maher, Mercy Street (a church within Chapelwood United Methodist Church)

  • Kerry Nelson, Faith Lutheran Church

  • Jonathan Page, First Congregational Church

  • Fred D. Smith, Houston Graduate School of Theology

  • Ranon Teller, Congregation Brith Shalom

These nine faith leaders issued a broader call to the community in an op-ed published this weekend 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 which 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.

The opioid epidemic is impacting every community across America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year more than 72,000 people died from an overdose and there are an estimated 20 million people living with a substance use disorder. In Harris County alone, from 2015 to 2017, the number of deaths by heroin overdose rose by 88 percent. This is in one of the most urgent crises facing our country with the rise of overdose deaths from legal and illegal opioids, including painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl, and Houston community leaders are taking action.

“Prevention initiatives like National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are an important step in the right direction. As we continue these efforts, we must remember that access to quality treatment and long-term recovery is the only way that this epidemic will end. We are committed to working together to achieve maximum collective impact and save as many lives as we can,” said Christian Thrasher, CHMI Senior Director of Substance Use Disorders & Recovery.

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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About the Clinton Foundation
Building on a lifetime of public service, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation on the simple belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to act, and we all do better when we work together. For nearly two decades, that premise has energized the work of the Foundation in overcoming complex challenges and improving the lives of people across the United States and around the world.

As an operating foundation, we work on issues directly or with strategic partners from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service. Our programs are designed to make a real difference today while serving as proven models for tomorrow. The goal of every effort is to use available resources to get better results faster – at the lowest possible cost.

We firmly believe that when diverse groups of people bring resources together in the spirit of true cooperation, transformative ideas will emerge to drive life-changing action.