Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey to join Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant in Operation Medicine Drop drug take-back event Monday State Fire Marshal will also deliver ceremonial rescue squad grant checks

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant will hold an Operation Medicine Drop drug take-back event Monday, April 19, at the Burke County Chamber of Commerce in Morganton.

Operation Medicine Drop (OMD) events are held throughout the state in an effort to curb the state’s opioid crisis and save lives. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office drug take-back event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Commissioner Causey and Sheriff Whisenant will be available to the media at 11 a.m.

OMD is a program within the Department of Insurance designed to ensure unused or expired medication is properly disposed of and kept out of the wrong hands. Since the first North Carolina take-back event in 2010, the program has collected more than 232 million pills, supported more than 3,893 events and assisted in the placement of more than 452 drop box locations.

Earlier in the day, Commissioner Causey, who is also the State Fire Marshal, will distribute ceremonial grant checks to rescue squads in Caldwell and Burke counties. Four Caldwell County rescue squads will receive checks totaling more than $33,000. One Burke County rescue squad will receive a check totaling more than $10,000.

The grants are part of a $1.6 million statewide program to help 120 local rescue squads purchase needed equipment.

Here is Commissioner Causey’s public schedule for Monday: