NORWICH — The City of Norwich Police Department held their twice-annual Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23. The event saw high participation, with over 80 people turning in prescription drugs to the department.

NPD Chief Rodney Marsh said the Drug Take Back days are sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and are used as a way to keep drugs out of landfills and off the streets.

"A lot of people have expired prescription medication that they want to get rid of, and you shouldn't put them in landfills and stuff like that," said Marsh. "We don't want those ending up onto the street, you know, and fall into somebody else's hands."

Also participating in the event was Chenango Health Network (CHN), which according to CHN Drug Free Community Coordinator Kyli Anderson is a "rural health network whose objectives are to increase access to health and wellness information, and to health care services."

Anderson and her colleague Tiffani Gager, CHN Community Health Worker, attended the Drug Take Back day to provide information on substance use disorder and substance use prevention.

"We're helping collect the drugs. People are bringing back prescription drugs, and then some are actually bringing in animal prescriptions as well, so that's a good thing. But yeah, we are trying to incorporate some substance use prevention," said Anderson. "It's nice to see our community is actually taking the right steps in getting rid of their prescription drugs and bringing them to the right place."

Gager added that they were also providing information on services and programs provided by CHN, including prescription assistance, cancer assistance, drug- and tobacco-free programs, and more.

"Some program information, and just information about services that they can utilize if they are living with substance use disorder, or how to prevent their youth from engaging in it," Gager explained.

"We collaborate with other coalitions, consortiums, and providers to make sure the community has the necessary ability to access all the services they need," she added. "We have prescription assistance programs, we have cancer assistance programs, we have insurance navigation, and then we have tobacco-free, drug-free, and then RCORP, myself, who directly works with law enforcement, the courts, other providers, rehabs, and advocates, to help spread awareness, and encourage and empower our community to be harm reductive and be sober."

According to Anderson, RCORP is a grant-funded program that "provides non-judgmental, person-centered case management with a Community Health Worker to families, youth, and adults at risk or currently living with alcohol or substance use disorder in Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego counties."

The Norwich Police Department thanked CHN and the community for participating in the event in a statement on their Facebook page.

"The Norwich Police Department would like to thank the more than 80 community members who stopped in as part of the DEA's Drug Take Back Day on Saturday," the statement read. "We would also like to thank the Chenango Health Network for doing its part in making that day a success, and everyone else who participated for helping keep these expired medications off of the street."

NPD Detective Sergeant Reuben Roach helped run the event, and said, "It's a great community event, and it's a safe way to dispose of medicine, and to make sure it doesn't end up on the street."