Carter County Prevention Coalition had a very successful Take Back Day. 

They were granted to use the gym, parking lot, and new E-sports room at Elizabethton Parks and Recreation, where they were joined by the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library, which provided fun games for kids and families. Also, Yoga Farm and Appalachian Dharma and Meditation center attended to offer pain management alternatives to attendees. 

Nash Acuna and colleague Brittny Horton set up to provide drug prevention and recovery resources. Patricia from Amerigroup was on hand as well. 

EPD Officer Baggett and Constable Shaffer came to assist in taking back over 79.5 lbs of expired and unused medications at this location alone.

They gave away 12 medication lock boxes and multiple packs of Deterra to help deter the improper use of prescriptions that may fall into the wrong hands.

 This is part of the Count It! Lock it! Drop It! program. For more on this program, visit Snapshot: Count It! Lock It! Drop It! - Better Tennessee

Jilian Reece and Tia Hughes set up at Roan Mountain Pharmacy to also give out resources. 

In collaboration with Elizabethton Police Department and Carter County Sheriff’s Office, over 152 lbs of medications were collected. 

They would like to thank the community for answering the call to clean out their medicine cabinets and help keep these drugs off the streets. 

Teens who abuse prescription drugs often get them from family and friends. Over 60% of teens say their main source of prescription medications is a medicine cabinet in their home; removing that temptation and opportunity is key to the prevention of future substance abuse.