The Oneida County Prevention Team which is a sub-group of the Oneida County Opioid Task Force in collaboration with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and Center For Family Life and Recovery are working together to “Take Back” unused/or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications, including pet medications by offering a drive-through event!!!
Please join us in celebration of Earth Day this year by giving back to our Community! The day inspires to act towards the protection of the environment and focus on the need for conservation. Come show your support!! We will be making matching tie dye shirts on April 19th the Monday before! And a pizza party April 26th for all who participated!
For more information please contact Katie Burns at 315-733-1709.
April 24th is National Take Back Day.
CFLR will be partnering with Oneida County Opioid Task Force, Oneida County Sheriff Dept. and ACR Health to host a drug take back event at the Oneida County Train Station from 10am – 2pm on April 24th. This drive-through event is CDC compliant with all COVID regulations. Participants are asked to stay in their vehicles and follow signs to drop off their meds and to wear masks at all times. All participants will be given a Hope bag.
With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration announces its 20th Take Back Day is scheduled for April 24th. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency but accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.
The public can drop off potentially dangerous prescription medications at collection sites which will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.
DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted. DEA will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off locations provided lithium batteries are removed.
Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths.
Learn more about the event at www.deatakeback.com, or by calling 800-882-9539.
CFLR Celebrates Teal Day and National Counseling Awareness Month
American Counseling Association (ACA) designates April of each year as Counseling Awareness Month, a time of advocacy for the profession and celebration of the outstanding efforts of counselors in myriad settings as they seek to facilitate the growth and development of all people. To help raise awareness, CFLR will be participating in Teal Day on April 9th. Friday, April 9th is Teal Day; we encourage everyone to wear teal to support the nationwide effort to raise awareness of counselors and promote mental health during Counseling Awareness Month.
70-90% of people who seek treatment for mental health witness a significant reduction in symptoms, according to the ACA.
Counseling in the United States and the world is delivered via many human service settings and can be found in a variety of institutions. These professionals work with people across the life span, from childhood through the senior years. This year’s theme—The Future is… Self-Care, Advocacy and Inclusion #BurnBrightNotOut—is focused on some of the avenues that will help ensure a brighter future for counselors, their clients and the counseling profession.
Center for Family Life and Recovery offers help through the Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”). EAP services help covered individuals and their families cope with the changes during this uncertain time, including pandemic fatigue. The EAP provides short-term assessment and referral counseling services. Primarily, counseling is provided virtually, but some limited in-person services are available, too. Besides counseling, the EAP team can help employers with training and education for their workforces. To see if you qualify for EAP counseling, or to learn more, please visit https://www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com/ or call the Utica office at 315-733-1709 for more information
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a national public health awareness campaign to increase education and understanding of the causes and dangers drinking and risks, treatment, and stigma that is associated with addiction. Alcohol is the most used substance by youth and adults in the U.S. and is the third leading cause of preventable death. Roughly 95,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes each year. Some signs of alcohol abuse may be things like:
Parents play a vital role in prevention of addiction by having the tools to understand the signs and symptoms of risky behaviors, knowing the trends that are out there, and knowing how to just have these kinds of conversations. Parents also are role modeling behaviors so ensure they are positive and healthy and that children are learning how to self-regulate and cope with life situations as well as encouraging them to know it is okay to ask for help.
If you need help, have questions, or need resources please call CFLR. We want you to know you are NOT alone and we are here to support you and your family!
