There are two additional locations in Warren County where residents can drop off unused or outdated prescription medications, thanks to some federal grant funds for rural communities.
One location is at the Warren County Senior Center, located at 435 W. Franklin St. in Warrenton and the second drop-ff site is at Lake Gaston DrugCo in Littleton, according to information from Crystal Smith, senior assistant to Warren County Manager Vincent Jones.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office was awarded annually $25,000 for a three-year period from the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, a federal program under the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The grant comes from Nash UNC Health Care; the primary goal is to partner with stakeholders and provide awareness of substance and opioid use disorder throughout the county through presentations and various community events, Smith said in a press statement.
The sheriff’s office is working with the Warren County Health Department and Warren County EMS to implement the program, which includes a drug take-back program twice a year and education components aimed at prevention. Further outreach plans are being developed for the school setting, to be completed in spring 2024.