Area residents disposed of 419 pounds of prescriptions and medicines during the annual DEA National Drug Take Back Day last weekend. About 332 pounds of the drugs were collected outside Murfreesboro Medical Clinic Friday and Saturday.
The Sheriff’s Strategies and Tactics for Opioid Prevention Unit collected the drugs in a partnership with the Tennessee Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Prevention Coalition for Success, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic and TrustPoint Hospita .
STOP Program helps Drug Dependent People Recover Dec 30, 2020 at 10:01 am by WGNS
Above: Chris Hale who lost his best friend to overdose.
When Chris Hale’s best friend died of an overdose, the shock brought new life to Hale.
Hale, 26, of Rockvale found his friend deceased Oct. 11 and called the Sheriff’s Office. Patrol Lt. Will Holton, who coordinated Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh’s new Sheriff’s new Strategies and Tactics for Opioid Prevention Unit, talked with Hale, who had used drugs for eight years. Hale agreed to try rehabilitation.
Care coordinator Erica Phemister of the Tennessee Save of Life First Responders’ grant arranged for Hale to enter Mirror Lake Recovery Center. He had previously stopped using drugs but started again when his stepfather died. He spent 36 days in rehabilitation for drug use.