KTVE/KARD | Today is National Drug Prescription Take-back day where the Drug Enforcement Administration provides an opportunity for local residents to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. The DEA says the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from home medicine cabinets.Saturday, local residents were able to make a difference in their homes and community. The Children’s Coalition was a drop off site that accepted pills, patches, liquids, and even vape pens.

This allows unused and expired medicine to be properly disposed of instead of just thrown in the trash. Officials say medications thrown in the trash can be retrieved and sold or misused. Drugs flushed down the drain can contaminate the water supply. Volunteers say they were happy to see locals being responsible with their prescription drugs.

“I think it is really good that people are aware of the fact that they need to have those out of their house, away from children away from those who may try and take expired prescriptions not knowing the strength of them,” said Karla Parker, Children’s Coalition for NELA.
​
Permanent drop-off boxes are located throughout the northeast region, click the button to see the list. 

​LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Education announced a new option for teachers and principals to receive free online training that will help strengthen their ability to provide effective virtual instruction. The training is available to educators starting this month. 

The three-part online training series will help teachers and principals understand high-quality virtual instruction and give them tools, templates and resources for strengthening their lessons and engaging students. Leaders will also receive resources to help them coach teachers and provide strong feedback to improve. The sessions are optional. Educators can decide when to take each of the three 90-minute sessions based on their schedule, with after-school, evening and weekend opportunities available for teachers.

"Virtual learning has improved leaps and bounds compared to March when school buildings were closed, but it's vital we continue to support our educators as they learn this new method of instruction," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. "I'm grateful for partners who invest in our educators so they can be at their best for children as we grow and learn together." 

The virtual training series is being provided by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, a non-profit that has worked with Louisiana educators for more than two decades to strengthen instructional practices and currently supports educators in about 300 schools across the state. NIET has been training thousands of teachers and leaders on how to translate effective instructional strategies into the virtual environment.

"Louisiana teachers have been quickly adapting to virtual and hybrid environments, and state leaders know they need ongoing support to build confidence and understanding for teaching online. This statewide initiative reinforces that Louisiana is a national leader in prioritizing educators' professional learning and investing in their development," said NIET CEO Dr. Candice McQueen. "Educators' demand for this kind of accessible training and support is high, and the state's response to quickly develop and provide high-quality support to all educators will strengthen virtual teaching and learning."

Training sessions are taught live and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sessions are spread out over the fall and spring semesters. Registration is now open, but seats are limited for each district or school system. Teachers should connect with their immediate supervisor to see if seats are available to attend. More details and registration information are available at niet.org.
​
This is the latest virtual instruction resource the Department has offered school systems. The LDOE is partnering with Google and FriEd Technology to provide a series of webinars to enhance teachers' Google skills and practices for digital learning. In August, the Department released virtual learning guides for families and educators. The Department has also released modified operations guides to help educators serve students with disabilities and English Learners.

The Farmerville Gazette - Saturday, the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will address a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows the majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

Locally, sites are available around Union Parish from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24, to participate in this national event. Bring your pills for disposal to one of four locations: Bernice Pharmacy at 417 East Main Street in Bernice, Union Parish Sheriff’s Office at 710 Holder Road in Farmerville, CommuniHealth Services at 335 Main Street in Marion, or the Children’s Coalition at 117 Hall Street in Monroe.

Sites will accept pills, patches, liquids, or vape pens – they cannot accept needles, sharps, or aerosols. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. To keep everyone safe, collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. This program began when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – posed potential safety and health hazards.

Medications thrown in the trash can be retrieved and sold or misused and drugs that are flushed can contaminate the water supply. Proper drug disposal not only can save lives but protect the environment.

Through incredible partnerships with the DEA, U-ACT - a program of the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana - the University of Louisiana Monroe College of Pharmacy, CommuniHealth Services, Bernice Pharmacy, and the Union Parish Sheriff ’s Office, this national initiative for the safe disposal of prescription drugs is now a reality in northeast Louisiana.

S/T Michael Reichardt with Louisiana State Police says, “It is imperative that people with old medication, especially narcotics, dispose of them properly before they get into the hands of someone that doesn’t need them or improperly disposes of them. This is a free service that is offered in our community and one that is needed. I hope people take the time to come out and dispose of their prescriptions properly instead of flushing them.”

Bernice Pharmacy Manager Brandon Keaster says, “Bernice Pharmacy is proud to host the DEA National Prescription Takeback Day. We love working together with partners in our community to protect our families and make the community safer for all.”
​
Community members who are unable to attend Drug Take Back Day can use permanent drop boxes located throughout the different parishes. Visit takebackday.dea.gov/content/secure-your-meds to find a drop box near you.

KTVE/KARD​ | The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be holding their National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this weekend and there will be four locations across Northeast Louisiana where you can take your unused medications.

Partnerships with the DEA, U-ACT (a program of the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana), the University of Louisiana Monroe College of Pharmacy, CommuniHealth Services, Bernice Pharmacy, and the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, have made the four NELA locations available.

Those locations are:

• Bernice Pharmacy – 417 East Main Street in Bernice
• Union Parish Sheriff’s Office – 710 Holder Road in Farmerville
• CommuniHealth Services – 335 Main Street in Marion
• Children’s Coalition – 117 Hall Street in Monroe

Each location will accept the following items for disposal:

• Pills
• Patches
• Liquids
• Vape Pens

Items that will not be accepted include:

• Needles
• Sharp Objects
• Aerosols

If you are unable to take part in Drug Take-Back Day, you can always drop off your unused medications at a permanent drop-box. To find the drop-box nearest you, click the button below.

KNOE | KNOE is sharing the story of Grecia Rojas-Avila and her family and what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her.

LA Tech freshman Grecia Rojas-Avila’s family spent three days immigrating from Mexico City back in 1999.

“They hitchhiked and they crossed over from Arizona and got on an orange truck and headed to Arkansas where most of our family was," Rojas-Avila.
​
As a first-generation Mexican born in America or “Chicana,” she said her parents came to America with just a few dollars and a dream.

​It’s a dream that her mother Myra says she’s proud to see her daughter living out every day.

“She’s satisfied with the fact they grew up with nothing and being able to raise such an admirable daughter, Rojas-Avila translated on behalf of Myra.

She’s also a first-generation college student studying business and economics with plans to go to Columbia for her next degree and later pursue a career as an immigration lawyer.

She said her plan to pursue immigration law and immigration reform was inspired by her parents and other people who she said fight daily to get their legal status.

The 18-year-old also spent time taking care of her father who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018. She said her father is doing much better now and she can tell that he’s also proud of her and her accomplishments.

“Through my parents' hardship coming up from nothing, it means the world to me it makes me emotional how I can get financial aid to even be able to go to college," she said.

She’s also preparing to vote for the first time on Election Day. It’s another new beginning for her family, and a right she said she doesn’t take for granted.
​
“My voice does count. It also means that I do have an impact on tomorrow, not just today but looking out for tomorrow looking out for the generations who can’t speak out right now," she said.

What asked what it means to share her story for Hispanic Heritage month, she said these communities should be celebrated every day and holds her family’s journey near and dear to her heart.

“Hey I’m just like you, it’s a big accomplishment for the Latinx community," she said. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 and recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans and people from Latin American countries.

American Academy of Pediatrics News - Child care workers in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic did not have increased odds of contracting SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study, which noted many programs were taking precautions.

Researchers from Yale University surveyed more than 57,000 U.S. child care providers in late May and early June, asking whether programs stayed open, what safety measures the program put in place and what precautions staff took in their personal lives.

Just under half of the programs stayed open or re-opened after a brief closure. A suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 led to closures of about 9% of those, according to “COVID-19 Transmission in US Child Care Programs,” (Gilliam WS, et al. Pediatrics. Oct. 14, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-031971).

The surveys showed that of the child care programs that continued to operate, 90% or more reported staff and children washed their hands frequently and indoor surfaces were disinfected daily. More than half disinfected indoor surfaces three times a day. Most programs performed daily symptom screenings and temperature checks of children and staff and practiced social distancing. Just over half kept children in cohorts that did not mix. However, daily face mask wearing was only 12% for children ages 2 and older and 35% for staff.

There were 427 child care providers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; researchers compared them to staff who did not contract the virus as well as to a group of matched controls. They found no association between contracting the virus and exposure to child care.

Odds of having COVID-19 were linked to being American Indian/Alaska Native, Latinx or Black. Taking personal precautions was linked to lower likelihood of contracting the virus.
​
“None of these covariates, however, interacted with exposure to child care, suggesting a lack of association between child care exposure and COVID-19 outcome regardless of these other factors,” authors wrote.