The first of nine safe medication disposal boxes will be unveiled in Oildale Monday afternoon.

The ribbon cutting for the Kern Rx Return will be at 1 p.m. at the North Chester Pharmacy, 1822 N. Chester Avenue. 

The Kern Rx Return Project is a safe medication disposal project that provides free receptacles for the community to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescripts and over-the-counter medications. 

The drop off box in Oildale will be the first of nine disposal boxes to come. The Kern Rx Return Project comes in the wake of President Trump declaring the nationwide opioid epidemic a public health emergency. 

In 2016, there were 51 opioid overdose deaths in Kern County, according to the California Department of Public Health. The Kern Stop Meth Now Coalition, KernBHRS and Aegis Treatment Centers created Kern Rx Return to reduce the accessibility of prescription medications in homes.