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ASAP, which works to prevent substance abuse, moves into new office

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ASAP of Anderson, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent substance abuse in Anderson County, has moved into a new office in Clinton that was provided by county school officials. ASAP dedicated the new space with a ribbon-cutting and open house on Oct. 24, 2019. (Photo courtesy ASAP of Anderson)

ASAP of Anderson, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent substance abuse in Anderson County, has moved into a new office in Clinton that was provided by county school officials.

ASAP dedicated the new space with a ribbon-cutting and open house on October 24.

ASAP, which celebrated 10 years of prevention last year, started out in a small space at the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, but its operations quickly grew. The organization next occupied space within District Attorney General Dave Clark’s office in Clinton, and the ASAP staff eventually landed, in 2011, on the fourth floor of the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton. That space was provided by the Anderson County schools director at the time, Larry Foster.

In August, ASAP moved into a building not far from their original offices. The big difference? A space all their own, a press release said. A space where they can host their own coalition meetings, community trainings such as responsible alcohol sales classes and opioid overdose trainings, and host meetings for other community agencies.

[Read more…]

Drug Take Back Day is Saturday in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top

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Anderson County is participating in the 16th Annual DEA Rx Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26. Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County Take Back locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Collection sites will be located at the police departments listed below. Each department will be set up outside in their respective parking lots to receive the expired or unused medicines.

  • Clinton Police Department, 125 West Broad Street, Clinton
  • Norris Police Department, 9 West Circle Road, Norris (will begin at 8 a.m.)
  • Oak Ridge Police Department, 200 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge
  • Rocky Top Police Department, 104 Lawson Street, Rocky Top

The National Rx Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue, a press release said. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs, and that number has continued to climb in recent years. Studies show many of the misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The Take Back Day provides an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths in the community and communities across the United States.

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ASAP to celebrate move with Oct. 24 ceremony

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ASAP of Anderson will celebrate its move to a new office building in Clinton with a building dedication ceremony on Thursday, October 24.

ASAP had been in the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton for 10 years, a press release said.

The building dedication ceremony is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. October 24 at 131 South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. Everyone is invited, the press release said.

The ceremony will include coffee and light snacks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and open house for community members to explore the new space, the press release said.

[Read more…]

More than 550 pounds of medicines collected during Drug Take Back Days

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More than 550 pounds of unused and expired medications were collected during Drug Take Back Days in April, according to ASAP of Anderson.

ASAP of Anderson partnered with local businesses and police departments to collect unused and expired medications throughout the community, a press release said.

“A total of 582.2 pounds of medication was collected at six different Drug Take Back sites in April,” ASAP said in the press release. Collected medications are safely handled by police officers, turned over to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration representatives, and then incinerated to ensure they do not find their way back into the community.

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Drug Take Back Day is Saturday

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ASAP of Anderson and police departments in Anderson County have formed a partnership to take back expired or unused medicines on Saturday.

It’s part of the 2019 Drug Enforcement Administration Rx Drug Take Back Day.

“Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County Take Back locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. this Saturday,” a press release said.

[Read more…]

ASAP Youth Ambassadors encourage peers to be safe, sober on Prom Night

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This time of year, high school students are looking forward to those wonderful milestone moments like prom and graduation. Regrettably, these milestones can sometimes go hand in hand with tragedy when mixed with drugs or alcohol, a press release said.

ASAP of Anderson Youth Ambassadors Coalition (YAC) are encouraging their peers to be safe and sober on prom night, the press release said. The ASAP YAC is made up of students from Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge high schools. Students designed posters that will hang throughout their schools in the coming weeks before prom to remind students they can “choose their fate.” This message corresponds with ASAP’s #IAMONE campaign. The campaign encourages youth to declare #IAMONE who will not use drugs or alcohol, the press release said.

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ASAP of Anderson, Oak Ridge Schools, ORPD collaborate to launch new school safety app

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Oak Ridge Schools is collaborating with Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County and the Oak Ridge Police Department to launch a new monitoring program that will allow parents and students to anonymously report concerns about student safety 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

The program includes an anonymous tip reporting application, which is part of the P3 Campus family of apps designed specifically for use in schools as part of student safety and mental health, a press release said. The local version app will be branded AlertORS, and will be available to all students in the Oak Ridge School district on Tuesday, April 2. Reports can be made through the P3 Campus mobile app or through any web browser at P3Campus.com.

“AlertORS will help students and community members be proactive in the emotional and physical well-being of their peers by giving them a tool to make anonymous reports quickly, easily, and interactively,” the press release said. “Users can report a wide range of concerns from mental health issues to threats of violence. ORS has designated team members for two-way communication when a tip is reported so that staff members are able to respond to students directly through the P3 Campus app and keep the conversation completely anonymous.” [Read more…]

ASAP to host Opioid Alternatives Lunch and Learn Series

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ASAP of Anderson Opioid Alternatives Lunch and Learn 2019

ASAP partners with local providers to educate on opioid alternatives

ASAP of Anderson is hosting a bi-monthly Opioid Alternatives Lunch and Learn Series at Methodist Medical Center. Each Lunch and Learn will provide information about a specific opioid alternative treatment from a qualified professional, a press release said.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on April 23
  • Massage Therapy on June 25
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on August 27
  • Physical Therapy/Wellness on October 29
  • Acupuncture on December 17

The Opioid Alternatives Lunch and Learn Series is a follow-on to two continuing medical education trainings hosted by ASAP in March 2018 and early March 2019, the press release said. These trainings covered opioid prescribing and pain management, including behavioral aspects of pain management. [Read more…]

ASAP partners with Oak Ridge, Clinton police for Drug Take Back Day

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Naloxone training offered at Drug Take Back Day, which is this Saturday

Anderson County is participating in a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

It’s the 15th Annual DEA Rx Drug Take Back Day on October 27. The DEA is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County ‘take back’ locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, a press release said. Collection sites will be located at the police departments listed below. Each department will be set up outside in their respective parking lots to receive the expired or unused medicines, the release said. [Read more…]

ASAP of Anderson celebrates 10 years of prevention

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ASAP of Anderson is celebrating 10 years of prevention on Tuesday, September 4.

ASAP’s mission is to prevent and reduce substance misuse among youth and adults in Anderson County.

You can join them for a 10th Anniversary Celebration and logo reveal on from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 4, at Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the logo reveal, there will be light lunch, cake, and takeaway “swag” for attendees, a press release said. [Read more…]

Faith, community organizations to discuss substance misuse tonight

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Oak Ridge Recovery Interfaith Forum July 9 2018

Faith leaders and community organizations will discuss substance misuse at a forum in Oak Ridge tonight (Monday, July 9).

“Addiction and recovery impacts all of us, and the interfaith community plays an important role in recovery from substance misuse,” a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Recovery Interfaith Forum will bring together faith leaders and community organizations across Anderson County, the press release said. ASAP of Anderson partnered with the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, and United Way of Anderson County to plan and organize the forum.

The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 9, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Attendees at the forum will learn about: [Read more…]

First of its kind, Family Drug Treatment Court opening in Anderson County

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Family Drug Treatment Court Ribbon Cutting July 11 2018

A Family Drug Treatment Court, the first of its kind in Anderson County, launched this week, and there will be a ribbon-cutting next week, a press release said.

The Anderson County Family Drug Treatment Court will be called R2: The Recovery and Resilience Program, the press release said.

R2 is a program for juvenile offenders who have substance misuse issues and have not been successful in maintaining drug abstinence. The program is a minimum of nine months and will incorporate treatment, family therapy, and group therapy paired with accountability and goal setting, the press release said.

“By addressing barriers in the home, we will enable adolescents in Anderson County to break free from the grip of generational drug abuse, setting them up to be successful contributors to our society,” said Anderson County Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt.

The press release said the program has been a priority for a large number of stakeholders in the community for many years. [Read more…]

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