For National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the Hamilton County Coalition will host in-person English and Spanish Opioid Overdose Prevention Trainings Saturday that will be free to the public. The trainings begin at 11 a.m. and will follow guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Two separate trainings will be at Greater New Home Baptist Church (2809 13th Ave.). One training will be for English speakers and the other will be for Spanish speakers. Free boxes of non-perishable food will be available to participants of the trainings at Greater New Home Baptist Church while supplies last. A third training will be at Elk’s Lodge (1067 Graysville Road) for English speakers.

All participants of any training are encouraged to wear a mask or facial covering. Participants will also be spread out with people from the same household being allowed to sit together. Participants of this life-saving training will also:

Learn to identify the signs of an overdose
Learn who to contact if there is a suspected overdose
Learn what to do in those critical moments
Learn about alternative pain management and treatment resources
Receive an overdose reversal kit with two units of Nasal Narcan Spray — the life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. ­

Register for these trainings online through the Hamilton County Coalition website https://www.hccoalition.org/save-a-life-training-events .

“We’re giving the public an opportunity to make homes safer for children and families,” Vanessa Spotts, regional overdose prevention specialist for the Hamilton County Coalition said. “Narcan is a life-saving medication that you’ll have the opportunity to learn about and bring into your home while properly disposing of medications that are unneeded, unwanted or unsafe.”

The Hamilton County Coalition also collaborated with the Drug Enforcement Administration, local law enforcement and community partners to provide 24 prescription drug drive-thru drop-off locations across the Chattanooga-area that will be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The public is invited to drop-off any unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications at any location with little to no human contact. The medications will then be safely disposed of to better the safety of our communities and environment. This event is free, safe and confidential.

When gathering up medications, attempt to keep medications in its original container if possible. Also, scratch off or mark through any personal information if possible. Illicit substances like marijuana or methamphetamine will not be accepted, but items like sharp needles and electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices can be dropped off. The battery must be removed from these devices prior to drop-off.

Medication lockboxes and Deterra Drug Deactivation pouches will also be available and free to the public at drop-off locations. The Helix Prescription Drug Security Cabinet provides a spacious and secure place to store medications. The high-quality chest comes with a lock and two keys that keeps medications safe from children and others for whom they are not prescribed.

The Deterra Drug Deactivation System is a handheld pouch designed to dispose of any unused or expired medications in an environmentally safe way that prevents contaminating water supplies and landfills.

Two document shredding locations will also be set-up in Chattanooga to allow any personal documents to be properly disposed of. One location will be at the Walgreens on Gunbarrel Road, and the other will be at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church on Highway 58. This service will also be available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Last October’s National Drug Take Back Day saw nearly 1,500 pounds of prescription medication be properly disposed of in the Chattanooga-area. The entire state of Tennessee collected over 26,000 pounds.

October 2020 National Drug Take Back Day Locations

Mt. Canaan Baptist Church - 4801 Hwy 58
Elks Lodge - 1069 Graysville Road
Greater New Home Baptist Church – 2809 13th Ave.
Walmart - Signal Mountain Road
CVS Pharmacy (Jasper, Marion) - 4712 Main St.
Signal Mtn. Police Department- 1111 Ridgeway Ave.
Walgreens - Soddy Daisy - 121 Harrison Lane
Food City - Red Bank - 3901 Dayton Blvd.
Walgreens - Brainerd - 3605 Brainerd Rd.
Walgreens - East Brainerd - 2289 Gunbarrel Road
Walgreens - East Ridge - 5301 Ringgold Road
Walgreens – Ooltewah - 9307 Lee Hwy.
Walgreens – Hixson - 5478 Hwy. 153
Walgreens – Rossville - 3550 Broad St.
Walmart - Dunlap (Sequatchie) - 16773 Rankin Ave.
Walgreens – McCallie - 2104 McCallie Ave.
Walgreens - Dunlap (Sequatchie) - 14857 Rankin Ave.
Walmart - Dayton (Rhea) - 3034 Rhea County Hwy.
Spring City City Hall/Police Department - Spring City (Rhea) - 229 Front St.
Meigs County Sheriff’s Department - Decatur (Meigs) - 410 River Rd.
Dayton Police Department - (Rhea) - 1191 Market St.
Graysville Police Department - (Rhea) - 136 Harrison Ave.
Bledsoe County Courthouse.  3150 Maine Street Pikeville TN 37367
Etowah Police Department - (McMinn) - 1317 South TN Ave.