The Saving Lives LID Campaign encourages people to lock their needed medications, inventory what they have and easily and safely dispose of those meds that are unused or expired by bringing them to our Drug Take Back event.

Recognizing the high proportion of the observant Jewish community in our area, Susan Blauner, Director of Saving Lives explained, “The national drug take back days are held on Saturdays, but to accommodate the Five Towns, we hold ours on Sunday to great success.”

On Drug Take Back Day, 134 pounds of meds were collected as people walked or drove in and dropped off their unneeded medications.

This is almost double the amount we collected at our first well-received and well-attended program last year and has now become an annual community event.

“People were blessing and thanking us for making this happen. It’s clearly making a difference and helping to save lives,” continued Blauner.

Saving Lives is very grateful to our Coalition partners, first of all to Hatzalah of the Rockaways and Nassau for allowing us the annual use of their emergency station, as well as to the Nassau County Police Department, Northwell Health, Hewlett Woodmere Business District, Tempo Group and all of the many community supporters who participated with Saving Lives on this very important project to reduce youth access to medication.

The Coalition will continue to focus on youth and adult mental health, community education, prevention and awareness, youth drug and alcohol misuse.