An integral part of the Heroin Opiate Education Program of Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc., Oneida County, in collaboration with the Oneida County Opiate Task Force, is continuing to combat opioid and heroin use in the community. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports 20% of people ages 12 and older have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime. Nearly 14% of these people meet the criteria for abuse of, or dependence upon it.
“Heroin is an epidemic that effects everyone. By working with partners like the Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. we are attacking this problem proactively. RXMedReturn units have been identified as an essential component to stopping heroin addiction in its infancy. These types of proactive programs is what we expected when we invested $50,000 in this partnership. It is one step and we will continue to do all we can to fight this epidemic from spreading through our cities, towns and villages.” Anthony J. Picente Jr.
Cassandra Sheets, CEO of the Center for Family Life and Recovery said “Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is pleased to work with our partners in law enforcement to provide a safe, and readily accessible manner to dispose of Prescription Medications. Data shows that approximately 80% of new heroin users are coming to heroin after having abused prescription opioids. We know that getting the public educated about the issues, providing tools for their use, and the access to RXMedReturn Units is key to keeping our community safe.”
Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. will unveil a new RXMedReturn Unit on July 11th at 10:00 AM at the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, 6065 Judd Road, Oriskany. The RXMedReturn Units provide a safe, convenient, and responsible manner for citizens to dispose of their unused, expired prescription and over the counter medication.
This RXMedReturn Unit will be the first of many that are being unveiled throughout Oneida County. Additional Units will be housed in the police departments in the following police departments: Boonville, Camden, Kirkland, Oriskany, Rome, Sherrill, and Utica. In addition, there will be Units in the Trenton Municipal Building and Waterville Municipal Buildings. These will be unveiled at various times, which can be found on CFLR, Inc.’s website as well as Facebook page. CFLR, Inc. will continue to educate the community through local law enforcement agencies and the media to publicize the locations and the availability of the drop boxes for proper, safe disposal of medications to get them out of the home. Additional information and resources are available at CFLR, Inc.’s website, www.WhenTheresHelpTheresHope.com.
For more information about this event, contact Jodi Warren, Prevention Council Coordinator for CFLR, Inc., at (315-733-1709; or jwarren@cflrinc.org.
Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading resource provider for prevention, counseling, advocacy, and recovery services. As a community partner, ti is important to us that we continue spreading the message of hope to our area; especially, to those who are living with mental illness and substance use disorders.
