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Drug Take Back Day, collection sites offer safer choice

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Spring is great time to clean out your medicine cabinet. If you have expired or unused medicines, don’t throw them in the trash or flush them. Instead, dispose of them safely and anonymously on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 27. Removing unneeded medications from homes is the safest solution for freeing up more storage space on your bathroom shelves. Clearing the prescription clutter can help prevent medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting. When unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands, the outcome can be dangerous and often deadly. And in Arkansas, where the opioid epidemic remains at critical levels, the threat is real. To find even more collection locations near you, visit the Arkansas Drug Take Back website and type in your ZIP code. Blue markers signal sites only active on April 27 and red markers indicate permanent disposal sites available throughout the year.

Safer drug disposal

The safest way to dispose of medications is to turn them in at a designated disposal site closest to you, locating it on the Arkansas Drug Take Back website. If you cannot access one of the disposal sites and must dispose of your medications in the trash:
  • Remove the medications from the prescription container
  • Mix opioids (do not crush) with used coffee grounds or kitty litter in a bag and throw them away
  • Remove personal information from the prescription label before disposal
  • NEVER flush medications down the toilet

ReviveAR app combats local opioid epidemic

While progress has been made in the opioid epidemic in Arkansas, the numbers are still troubling, with 415 fatal doses in 2022 and 3,936 non-fatal overdoses that same year, according to the Department of Health Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Branch. To help combat this battle, the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership’s new ReviveAR app can put this life-saving power at your fingertips. Go to their website or search for it on your phone’s app store. ReviveAR provides:
  • Guidance in identifying the signs of an opioid-related drug overdose
  • Written and audio instructions on how to administer naloxone during an overdose
  • Family support
  • Access to opioid prevention, treatment
  • Recovery resources
Pharmacists can help! Pharmacists may provide naloxone (brand name Narcan) at no cost to those requesting it. Check with your pharmacist to see if this is available. Those who have and know how to use naloxone, a nasal spray, can reverse the effect of an opioid overdose.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield offers help to members

Our health plans offer resources to assist with substance use and addiction. Members on an Arkansas Blue Cross health plan can visit https://mymindhelp.com/substance-use-support/ to find resources and programs available.            
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