SPOKESPERSON SAYS LAW SHE RESIGNED PRIOR TO TERMINATION BY THE FWC.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: 7.36. THIS
MORNING. YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO
SAFELY DISPOSE OF UNUSED
PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES HERE IN
NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND ALSO IN
GLYNN COUNTY, GEORGIA,
NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG.
TAKE BACK DAY IS NEXT
SATURDAY. APRIL 22ND AND WE
ARE HIGHLIGHTING THE
IMPORTANCE OF REMOVING
UNNEEDED DRUGS FROM YOUR HOME.
JOINING US THIS MORNING, MIKE
MCCORMICK WITH FLORIDA POISON
CONTROL CENTER AND TJ WARD
WITH PROJECT OPIOID. MORNING.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANKS
FOR ATHLETES AND TALK ABOUT
THIS ENOUGH BECAUSE IT IS SO
IMPORTANT BECAUSE TJ, YOU AND
I HAVE TALKED AT LENGTH OF
INCLUDING MIKE ABOUT THE
CRISIS, THE OVERDOSE CRISIS.
AND IT’S GETTING WORSE
CONTINUES TO GET OVERDOSE
DEATHS CONTINUE TO CLIMB. AND
WE’VE SEEN SOMETHING
>> THAT WE NEVER COULD HAVE
ANTICIPATED 2021, WE SAW
ALMOST 107,000 OVERDOSE DEATHS
NATIONALLY OVER 7,000 RIGHT
HERE IN FLORIDA. AND 575 HERE
IN DUVAL COUNTY. SO IT’S NOT
GETTING ANY AND SO WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THINGS
LIKE WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
TODAY TO REALLY HELP.
>> AND JENNIFER, PERSPECTIVE
ON THAT WITH THAT BIG NUMBER
170 IN WHICH THE ABOUT THIS
WEEK, THAT’S ALMOST 300 DEATHS
A DAY. THAT’S THE EQUIVALENT
OF LIKE A 7 47 CRASHING IN
THIS COUNTRY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND I THINK FIT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: PEOPLE TEND
TO THINK THAT THIS ISN’T GOING
TO HAPPEN TO ME. BUT THE
REALITY IS IS BECAUSE PEOPLE
HAVE GOTTEN HOOKED ON
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AS AN
EXAMPLE. AND THAT’S WHY THIS
TAKE BACK DAY IS SO IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THERE MAY BE PARENTS
OR GRANDPARENTS WHO DON’T
REALIZE MAYBE THAT THEY HAVE A
RELATIVE WHO VISITS THEIR
HOME, YOU MAY HAVE A DRUG
ADDICTION AND ESSENTIALLY ARE
RAIDING THEIR MEDICINE
CABINET. SO WHICH IS WHY THESE
TAKE BACK DAYS ARE SO
IMPORTANT. I WANT TO I WANT TO
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT
AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
FACT THAT YOU, FLORIDA POISON
CONTROL CENTER, SEES ALL OF
THE TIME ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSES.
THAT’S THE SECOND COMPONENT TO
THIS. IN TERMS OF GETTING RID
OF THESE MEDICATIONS AND NOT
TO KEEP THROWING NUMBERS AT
YOU. BUT WE HAD ALMOST 18,000
CALLS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
LAST YEAR FOR MEDICATIONS
NEXT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND, YOU
KNOW, THE PROBLEM IS WE ALL
BUY MEDICINE AND LOOK, I
CLEANED OUT THE LAST 2 TIMES
AND I WENT THROUGH MY CABINET
AGAIN. I HAVE A FULL BOTTLE
HERE THAT I’M GOING TO TURN IN
SATURDAY. WE BUY MEDICINE. YOU
DON’T USE ALL OF IT. YOU THINK
BY PAID FOR? I’LL HAVE THAT
COUGH AGAIN. I’LL HAVE
SOMETHING. YOU PUT IT UP IN A
MEDICINE CABINET. THE PROBLEM
IS IT’S EASY ACCESS THEN FOR
CHILDREN FOR TEENAGERS. WE’VE
SEEN SELF-HARM RISE AMONG
TEENAGERS USING COMMON STUF
NONPRESCRIPTION MEDICINE LIKE
TYLENOL, THOSE TYPE THING SO
WE NEED TO REMOVE THOSE RISKS
FROM THE HOUSE BECAUSE THAT’S
THE LITTLE THING WE CAN ALL DO
TO PUT US ON THE STEPS TO TO
DEALING WITH AND YOU DON’T
WANT TO FLUSH THEM OUT DOWN
THE TOILET ON. THAT SHOULD NOT
BE THE OPTION, WHICH IS WHY
YOU ACTUALLY ARE OFFERING IN
SOME LOCATIONS. WILL TALK
ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE WITH
WITH WELL, THESE TO TARA BAGS.
>> HOW DID THEY WORK, MIKE?
IT’S REALLY SIMPLE WITH THESE
BAGS. OPEN THEM UP.
>> FOR THE PILLS IN LITTLE BIT
OF WATER SHAKE IT UP. SEE WHAT
YOU THROW AWAY. EVERYTHING,
INCLUDING THE PACKAGING IS
BIODEGRADABLE AT THAT POINT
AND IT DEACTIVATES THE
MEDICINE. IT’S IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THERE WAS A STUDY THAT
JUST CAME OUT FROM F I U THAT
SHOWED 94% OF THE REDFISH
CAUGHT IN THIS STATE HAD SOME
SORT OF PHARMACEUTICAL IN THE
RIGHT BECAUSE TOO MANY PEOPLE
ARE PUTTING OUR OUR OUR, YOU
KNOW, THROW THEM IN THE
TOILET, FLUSHING DOWN THE
DRAIN. THEY GET INTO THE WATER
SYSTEM. SO THIS IS ABOUT
PROTECTING ALL OF US, RIGHT?
SO TJ, WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR?
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT YOU AND I
HAVE TALKED ABOUT DRUG TAKE
BACK IN THE PAST, BUT THERE
ARE EVEN MORE LOCATIONS THIS
YEAR. ABSOLUTELY. WE’VE
EXPANDED ACROSS THE FIRST
COAST, ALMOST EVERY COUNTY
ADDING LOCATIONS. SO THAT IS
CONVENIENT FOR PEOPLE TO GET
TO.
>> WE’RE SO GRATEFUL FOR OUR
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEA AND
AND ALL OF THE COALITION
PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE THAT
HAVE MADE THIS POSSIBLE. AND
SO WE’RE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO
OFFER MORE, TAKE BACK
LOCATIONS AND PEOPLE CAN GO TO
D E A DOT GOV. SLASH TAKE BACK
DAY TO SEE WHERE LOCATION IS
NEAR THEM. THEY CAN JUST PUT
IN THERE ZIP CODE AND IT WILL
BRING UP ALL THE DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS THAT THEY CAN GO TO
DISPOSE OF MEDICATIONS SAFELY.
AND I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT
DUVAL COUNTY, 5 DROP-OFFS,
CLAY COUNTY, 3 LOCATIONS,
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY FOR A
DROP-OFF LOCATIONS. MANY OF
THOSE IN SAINT JOHNS COUNTY OR
LOCAL SCHOOLS, NASSAU COUNTY,
FLAGLER COUNTY, EVEN GLYNN
COUNTY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: ANY
QUESTIONS ASKED OF THESE
PEOPLE, MIKE, WHEN THEY’RE
DROPPED OFF, THERE MAY BE SOME
PEOPLE ARE FEELING A LITTLE
HESITANT. IS THERE ANY REASON
THAT THEY SHOULD NOT GO AND DO
THIS BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE
SOMEBODY IS GOING TO ASK HIM
ALL THESE QUESTIONS?
ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND IT IS VERY
SIMPLE. DRIVE-UP HAND DRIVE
OFF. THERE’S NO QUESTIONS IT
GOES RIGHT AWAY AND IT SAFELY
DISPOSED OF. AND THAT’S THE
KEY. AND I WANT TO POINT OUT
ALSO, TJ, NARCAN WILL BE
OFFERED AS WELL AS TO TEAR BET
AT CERTAIN LOCATIONS. YES. AND
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, SO WE’RE
HAPPY TO HAND THOSE OUT TO
THOSE WHO NEED THEM. WE
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TAKE THOSE
TOOLS AND USE THEM.
>> OF COURSE, TAKE BACK DAY IS
NOT EVERY DAY. IT’S TWICE A
YEAR, BUT THINGS LIKE THE
TERROR THEY CAN USE EVERY DAY.
SO WE WANT TO GIVE THOSE THOSE
TOOLS AND THOSE RESOURCES TO
PEOPLE TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF
MEDICATION AND THEN WITH
NARCAN TO BE ABLE TO USE IN
CASE THEY COME ACROSS SOMEBODY
WHO HAS EXPERIENCE A NEW WORD.
I LITERALLY CARRY THIS IN MY
PURSE BECAUSE IT’S BECOME SO
PREVALENT. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR
COMMUNITY SO NARC CAN TARA
AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST