Today the Trump Administration declared the opioid crisis a “Public Health Emergency,” which will provide more resources for those who need it most.
It’ll help people in remote areas access medical help by phone or computer and permits grants to help workers unemployed because of the crisis.
Here in Kern County, we are also facing this crisis- methamphetamine is our number one issue according to the Kern County Behavioral Health Department.
“I used to eat out of trashcans due to my addiction. So helping people like me means everything to me,” said Doug Bennett, the founder Magdalene Hope.
Bennett has been clean from methamphetamine for 13 years. He now helps people who are addicted to drugs get clean.
“At any given time we have about 1,400 individuals in our methadone clinics, but national estimates range between 10% and 13% and we know that out of those on 10% access treatment," said Ana Olvera, Behavioral Recovery System Administrator for the Substance Abuse Division.
Kern Behavioral Health, the DEA, BPD and other departments around the county are coming together to help stop this epidemic.
Saturday is the 14th National Prescription Drug Take back Day which is intended to prove a free and anonymous method of disposal of prescription medications, drugs and needles.
The Bakersfield Police Department said this initiative has decreased the rate of accidental overdoses since the initiative started in 2010.
In Bakersfield at the last takeback day in April, they collected more than 1,000 pounds of these drugs and nationally there was 450 tons collected.
Here is a list of the locations participating in National Prescription Drug Takeback Day on Saturday October 28th and will be collecting medications 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Bakersfield Police Department. 1601 Truxtun Avenue and 3501 Stockdale Highway
- Sheriff's Office Headquarters, 1350 Norris Rd. in Bakersfield
- Buttonwillow Substation, 181 E. First Street in Buttonwillow
- Delano Substation, 455 Lexington Street in Delano
- Kern Valley Substation, 7046 Lake Isabella Blvd. in Lake Isabella
- Lamont Substation, 12022 Main St. in Lamont
- Mojave Substation, 1771 Hwy 58 in Mojave
- Tehachapi Substation, 22209 Old Town Rd.
- Taft Substation, 315 N. Lincoln St. in Taft
- Wasco Substation, 748 "F" Street in Wasco
