‘Pill Dragon’ debuts
HAZARD – Flames shot skyward each time the steely beast slowly opened its wide, black mouth. With an insatiable appetite Operation UNITE’s new “Pill Dragon” digested course after course of prescription medications in the parking lot behind the Hazard Police Department, drawing curious gazes from dozens of passers-by. The “dragon” – one of two portable incinerators on loan from the...
Read MoreUNITE/PRIDE helping Pike flood victims
Operation UNITE and PRIDE staff members are accepting donations of items to assist Pike County residents victimized by flash flooding over the weekend. “Everything is needed right now – from baby wipes to furniture,” said Karen Engle, UNITE director. “Several rural communities have been devastated and thousands of families affected. Many people have lost everything they own.” Anyone...
Read MoreBasketball with a message
HINDMAN – Learning how to play and working together as a team to conquer adversity comes in many forms. Winning is much more than merely being the biggest, the fastest, or having the highest score at the end of a game. That message was delivered with the precision of a last-second buzzer-beater during Operation UNITE’s final Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp of the year, held Thursday,...
Read More110 attend Perry SHND camp
LEATHERWOOD – Fundamental skills used to play basketball – or any other sport – can be applied to the rest of your life. “The best way to get from where you are today to where you want to be is to set a goal,” Jeff Sheppard told the 110 school-age youth participating in Operation UNITE’s first Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp of 2010 at Leatherwood Elementary on Tuesday, June 8....
Read MoreMedical symposium held
HAZARD – Better utilization of the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, increasing education about the disease of addiction, and providing greater collaboration and communication on available resources were all short-term priorities identified by medical professionals attending an Operation UNITE symposium held Saturday, March 6, 2010. The symposium brought together more than 300...
Read More$500,000 pledged to Foundation
HAZARD – Kentucky River Properties, LLC, has pledged $500,000 to the Operation UNITE Foundation over the next five years to provide substance abuse treatment. The first $100,000 installment was formally presented to UNITE Director Karen Engle and Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers during a dinner held at Hazard Community and Technical College on January 25. “We are proud to...
Read More


















