The Bradley Prevention Coalition is now distributing medication lockboxes and drug deactivation pouches to the public at no cost. To order and schedule a pickup, contact the Bradley Prevention Coalition at 423-813-9898 or email bradleypreventioncoalition@gmail.com. The address for pickup is 1620 Johnson Blvd. SE, 37311.
This initiative is in conjunction with the State of Tennessee, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Hamilton County Coalition.
“This partnership has one goal in mind and it’s to make medication safety and easily accessible to as many people as possible,” Camilla Bibbs-Lee, executive director of the Hamilton County Coalition said. “We’re based in Hamilton County, but our role is to effect positive community change in all counties across Southeast Tennessee. This initiative has continued to help us do that.”
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.
From Jan. 1-June 28 of this year, there have been 438 overdoses and 52 overdose deaths reported in Southeast Tennessee. The 37312 zip code in the Cleveland area has ranked fourth in the region this year in overdose rates.