A message from the CEO of Corporation for National and Community Service

 

Dear Colleagues,

Our nation is in the midst of an unprecedented drug epidemic. More than 72,000 Americans died from a drug overdose last year, and 2.4 million Americans struggle with opioid addiction. This crisis is causing devastating effects on families, workplaces, the health care system, states, and communities.

President Trump has made combatting this epidemic a priority, and CNCS is committed to this fight. We have teamed up with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to support National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Sat., Oct. 27. This is a day for Americans across the country to do their part to fight the opioid crisis simply by safely disposing of unwanted prescription medications.

Medicines in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the medicine cabinet at home. Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means to dispose of prescription drugs.

Here are several ways you can get involved:

• Participate: Encourage your staff, members, volunteers, and partners to drop off unneeded prescription drugs at one of 4,000 collection sites around the country. Visit dea.gov to find a site near you.
• Promote: Use social media to promote the day. The White House digital toolkit has key messages and sample posts, and the DEA’s partnership toolbox has graphics and other resources.

To learn more, you are invited to join a special webinar on Senior Corps, Opioids, and Take Back Day: Joining a National Movement, tomorrow, Oct. 17, 2 -3:00 p.m. EST. The webinar – open to all CNCS grantees and partners - will shine a spotlight on how Senior Corps programs are mobilizing older Americans in response to the opioid crisis. Click here to register for this webinar featuring speakers from the DEA and local Senior Corps programs. 

Take Back Day is one of many ways CNCS is working to combat the opioid crisis. Over the past two years, we have significantly increased our investment in drug prevention, reduction, and recovery programs, supporting more than 1,800 Senior Corps volunteers and AmeriCorps members in all 50 states. Our numbers and impact will continue to grow as we have again made this a priority for our 2019 grant notices.

Thank you for being our partners in this fight. Through working together, we can turn this around.

Warmest Regards,

Barbara Stewart
Chief Executive Officer
Corporation for National and Community Service