To Your Health

The Durham County Health and Human Services building under construction in downtown Durham NC

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NAMI DURHAM CLASSES AND MEETINGS

The NAMI* Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for those age 18+ who are living with a mental illness. Group members will be able to share successes with each other and discuss challenges with the help of NAMI-trained facilitators. This month’s meetings will be held on Tuesdays, March 14 and 28, 7:30–9pm; click here to register in advance for this Zoom meeting.

* National Alliance on Mental Illness

NAMI Durham hosts an online Stress & Anxiety Support Group for African-Americans every Thursday from 7 to 9pm. Black people often push down their fears and problems because they’ve been told that seeking help is a sign of weakness. Lorraine Childs leads the weekly confidential discussions that encourage African-Americans to reach out and to realize that “You are not alone.” Share experiences without judgment, exchange tips, and gain access to helpful resources. Click here for more info; if you’d like to attend a meeting (on Zoom), click on “Calendar” and then click on the particular Thursday to register for that day’s meeting.

Free
COVID-19 vaccines

CLICK FOR COMPLETE LIST.

Durham County Department of Public Health (414 E Main St)—walk-ins on weekdays 9am–4pm (6pm on Tuesdays). No registration or ID is needed. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. PLEASE NOTE: The County now has Moderna and Pfizer vaccines available for babies as young as 6 months.
Lincoln Community Health Center (1301 Fayetteville St)—walk-ins on weekdays 9–11am and 1–5pm. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
Central Pharmacy (2609 N Duke St #103, 919-220-5121)—weekdays 9am–5:30pm, Saturdays 9am–noon. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson
Durham Pharmacy (5826 Fayetteville Rd #105, 919-224-1234)—weekdays 9am–7pm, Saturdays 10am–2pm. Moderna and Pfizer
Gurley’s Pharmacy (114 W Main St, 919-688-8978)—weekdays 10am–3pm. Moderna and Pfizer
Harris Teeter (2107 Hillsborough Rd, 919-286-1500; 3457 Hillsborough Rd, 919-383-2249; 1501 Horton Rd, 919-471-1938; 1817 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, 919-489-9887; 1802 N Pointe Dr, 919-220-5761; 5116 N Roxboro Rd, 919-471-6263; 1125 W Hwy 54 #310, 919-403-0794; 202 Hwy 54, 919-361-9893)—weekdays 9am–7pm, Saturdays 9am–5pm, Sundays 11am–5pm.
Hersey Pharmacy (4711 Hope Valley Rd, 919-346-4008)—weekdays 11am–4pm. Call for info on getting homebound individuals vaccinated. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson
Josef’s Pharmacy (3421 N Roxboro St, 919-680-1540)—weekdays 11am–4pm. Pfizer

Park West Pharmacy (4900 Hwy 55 #160, 984-219-6305)—weekdays 9am–6pm. Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson
Russell’s Pharmacy & Shoppe (2116 Angier Ave, 919-908-1060)—weekdays noon–6pm, Saturdays 9:30–11:30am. Pfizer and Moderna
Southpoint Pharmacy (6216 Fayetteville Rd #105, 919-908-0217)—weekdays 9am–6pm, Saturdays 10am–3pm. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson
Triangle Pharmacy at Ace Hardware (1700 E Hwy 54, 919-544-1711)—Tuesdays 2–5pm, Thursdays and Fridays 9am–3pm. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson
Walgreen’s (1505 Broad St, 919-286-4431; 710 Fayetteville St Durham, 919-530-8774; 6405 Fayetteville Rd, 919-544-6430; 3793 Guess Rd, 919-479-5156; 1821 Hillandale Rd, 919-383-9428; 1812 Holloway St, 919-682-9546; 200 N Lasalle St, 919-383-5591; 3905 N Roxboro St, 919-471-1534; 104 Sherron Rd, 919-227-3114; 1109 W Hwy 54, 919-403-8059)—weekdays 9am–9pm, Saturdays 9am–6pm, Sundays 10am–6pm. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson
Walmart (1525 Glenn School Rd, 919-688-3081; and 5450 New Hope Commons Dr, 919-489-4420)—weekdays 9am–7pm, Saturdays 9am–6pm, Sundays 10am–6pm. Moderna
Wheels Fun Park (715 N Hoover Rd)—Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 3–7pm. Pfizer.

Free
COVID-19 tests

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has contracted with OPTUM Serve, LHI, and UnitedHealth Services to administer free COVID-19 tests. You don’t need to have your photo ID, and the tests can be taken by anyone age 1 and up. OptumServe promises to always have someone there who speaks Spanish. You don’t have to make an appointment, but if you’d like to make one anyway, click here.

Here’s the schedule for the current week:

CVS (1845 Martin Luther King Pkwy)

Monday–Thursday 8am–8pm, Friday 8am–6pm, Sunday 10am–6pm

CVS (930 Martin Luther King Pkwy)

Monday–Thursday 9am–8pm, Friday 9am–6pm, Sunday 10am–5pm

CVS (6911 Garrett Rd)

Monday–Thursday 9am–8pm, Friday 10am–6pm, Sunday 10am–6pm

CVS (3573 Hillsborough Rd)

Monday–Thursday 8am–9pm, Friday 9am–6pm, Sunday 10am–6pm

CVS (3737 N Roxboro St)

Monday–Thursday 8am–9pm, Friday 9am–6pm, Sunday 10am–6pm

CVS (2010 Sedwick Rd)

Monday–Thursday 9am–8pm, Friday 10am–6pm, Sunday 10am–5pm

CVS (5111 Wake Forest Hwy)

Monday–Friday 9am–8pm, Saturday + Sunday 10am–6pm

CVS (5311 N Roxboro Rd)

Monday–Friday 9am–8pm, Saturday + Sunday 10am–6pm

Walgreens (1109 Hwy 54)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (1505 Broad St)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm

Walgreens (6405 Fayetteville Rd)

Monday–Sunday 9:30am–5pm

Walgreens (1821 Hillandale Rd)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (2104 E Hwy 54)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm

Walgreens (3905 N Roxboro St)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (3793 Guess Rd)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm, Saturday + Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (104 Sherron Rd)

Monday–Saturday 9:30am–5pm

Walgreens (710 Fayetteville St)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm, Saturday + Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (200 N Lasalle St)

Monday–Saturday 9:30am–5pm, Sunday 10:30am–5pm

Walgreens (1812 Holloway St)

Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm

Lakewood Shopping Center (2000 Chapel Hill Rd)

Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5:30pm

Triangle Empowerment Center (112 Broadway St)

Tuesday + Thursday 1–5pm

Wake Toxicology Lab (5129 Hwy 55, Suite 103-104)

Monday–Friday 9am–7pm, Saturday + Sunday 9:30am–5pm.

Lakewood Shopping Center (2000 Chapel Hill Rd)—Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–6pm

The stores below are also offering COVID-19 tests:

PICKUP ONLY (10 tests per person; minimum age for picking up tests is 14 years)

Durham County Department of Public Health (414 E Main St, 919-560-9217)

Monday, Wednesday + Friday 9am–1pm; Tuesday + Thursday noon–4pm

Communities in Partnership (101 S Driver St, 984-287-7977)

Monday–Friday 10:30am–5:30pm

Community Health Coalition (308 Crutchfield St, Suite D, 919-470-8680)

Tuesday + Thursday 11am–3pm

CWS (504 W Chapel Hill St, Suite 106, 919-680-4310)

Monday 1–3pm, Tuesday 11am–3pm, Thursday 1–3pm

Duke Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute/African-American COVID-19 Taskforce (3308 Rugby Rd, 919-981-7267)

Monday 9–11am and 1–3pm, Friday 7–9am

El Centro Hispano (2000 Chapel Hill Rd, Suite 26A, 919-687-4635)

Tuesday 9am–3pm, Thursday 9am–6pm

Greater Outreach Services (2530 Meridian Pkwy, Suite 3012, 833-741-7770)

Tuesday 9:30am–3pm, Thursday 1–4pm

LGBTQ Center of Durham (112 W Main St, 2nd floor, 919-827-1436)

Wednesday 11am–1pm, Thursday 1–5pm, Friday 1–3pm, Saturday 1–3pm

St Mark AME Zion Church (531 S Roxboro St, 919-688-2092)

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday + Friday 1–3pm

HOPE4NC HELPLINE

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is offering the Hope4NC helpline for people needing mental-health support due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone can get free and confidential emotional support and helpful resources 24/7 via telephone, text, or chat. This service is also available in Spanish. The Hope4NC helpline number is 855-587-3463; click here for more info, to start a chat, send a text message, and to get help in Spanish.

Feel free to explore the NCDHHS’s COVID-19 website here for more resources and information on staying both physically and mentally healthy during the pandemic.

MONTHLY HANGOUT FOR PEOPLE WITH AUTISM

The LGBT Center of Raleigh will host the next Triangle Autism Discussion on Saturday, November 6, 4:30–6pm. Self- and professionally diagnosed people with autism are welcome to attend, as well as individuals in and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. This month’s topic will be Change. Visit the Facebook event page for more info, and click here to sign up and to attend this free Zoom event.

NAMI’s FREE COVID-19 GUIDE

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) has put together a thorough, handy, and useful COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide. We’ve all heard about the importance of washing our hands and cleaning surfaces and doorknobs, but NAMI goes beyond this and helps us deal with our feelings, doubts, and anxieties in a helpful and reassuring way.

To make the guide easier to read, click on the double arrows in the upper right-hand corner

( >> ) and choose “Presentation Mode.”

Formed by a partnership of Safe Kids North Carolina, the Riverkeepers of North Carolina, NC State Bureau of Investigation, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of North Carolina, and local law enforcement agencies, Operation Medicine Drop is an initiative that helps people safely dispose of expired and unused medications. A common practice is to flush them down the toilet, but that poisons the waters and endangers wildlife. Simply tossing them in the trash is also a bad idea. Someone could come along, fish them out, and use them as recreational drugs. Many overdoses and other drug-related problems happen because someone didn’t get rid of over-the-counter medications properly.

Operation Medicine Drop provides safe dropoff points for those who want to get rid of their old medications easily and safely. Here are the Durham County locations:

Durham County Justice Center (510 S Dillard St, in the lobby, 919-560-0854)—weekdays 8:15am–5pm
Durham County Sheriff’s Office, North Station (11821 US Hwy 501 N, in Rougemont, 919-560-0930)—weekdays 8am–4:30pm
Durham District 2 Police Substation (5285 N Roxboro Rd)—weekdays 8am–5pm
Durham District 3 Police Substation (#8 Consultant Pl, Shannon Rd near MLK Pkwy)—weekdays 8am–5pm
Durham Police Department Headquarters (602 E Main St)—anytime (24/7).

Click here for more info.

AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES

The American Red Cross will host the following pop-up Blood Drives. (Blood/platelets can also be donated just about every day at the American Red Cross office (4737 University Dr).) Click here for more info and to set an appointment.

Wednesday, March 8

Searle Conference Center (10 Bryan Searle Dr), 10am–3pm

Thursday, March 9

Duke Regional Hospital (3643 N Roxboro Rd), 10am–3pm

Friday, March 10

Streets at Southpoint (6910 Fayetteville Rd), 12:30–6:30pm

Tuesday, March 14

Westminster Presbyterian Church (3639 Old Chapel Hill Rd), 12:30–6pm

Friday, March 17

Epworth United Methodist Church (3602 Hope Valley Rd), 1:30–6:30pm

Saturday, March 18

St Joseph AME Church (2521 Fayetteville St), 10am–3pm

Wednesday, March 22

Riverside High School (3218 Rose of Sharon Rd), 9am–2pm

Thursday, March 23

Rose of Sharon Baptist Church (4109 Guess Rd), 2:30–7pm

Friday, March 24

Streets at Southpoint (6910 Fayetteville Rd), 12:30–6:30pm

Wednesday, March 29

Bryan Center (120 Science Dr), 11am–4:30pm
Searle Conference Center/Seeley G Mudd Building (10 Bryan Searle Dr), 9:30am–3pm

Thursday, March 30

Bryan Center (120 Science Dr), 11am–4:30pm
Umstead Pines (253 Country Club Dr), 1–6pm

Friday, March 31

Bethesda Ruritan Club (1714 S Miami Blvd), 1–6pm

Saturday, April 1

The River Church (4900 Prospectus Dr), 10am–3pm

Wednesday, April 5

North Carolina Central University/Alfonso Elder Student Union (Fayetteville and Nelson Sts), 9am–2:30pm.

BLOOD CONNECTION BLOOD DRIVES

The Blood Connection hosts mobile Blood Drives throughout Durham. Here’s a partial schedule of the pop-up locations (in the most public spaces). Click here to see the full list of locations and dates:

Tuesday, February 28

Sprouts (105 W Hwy 54), 11am–2pm

Thursday, March 2

Texas Roadhouse (1809 N Pointe Dr), 3–8pm

Friday, March 3

Duke Primary (5102 N Roxboro Rd), 10am–3pm
Best Buy (5454 New Hope Commons Dr), noon–4pm
Kohl’s (5241 McFarland Rd), 2–7pm

Saturday, March 4

Best Buy (5454 New Hope Commons Dr), noon–4pm

Tuesday, March 7

O2 Fitness University Hill (3103 Shannon Rd), 4–7pm

Wednesday, March 8

Durham County Courthouse (510 S Dillard St, 10am–2pm

Friday, March 10

SECU (2421 E Hwy 54), noon–5pm

Sunday, March 12

Belk (6910 Fayetteville Rd, Streets at Southpoint), noon–5pm

Monday, March 13

Sprouts (105 W Hwy 54), 3–7pm

Wednesday, March 15

Durham VA Medical Center (508 Fulton St), 10am–3pm

Friday, March 17

Elizabeth St United Methodist Church (1209 N Elizabeth St), noon–5pm
Kohl’s (5241 McFarland Rd), 2–7pm

Monday, March 20

Fuel Fitness (105 W Hwy 54 Suite 271), 3–7pm

Tuesday, March 21

North Carolina Central University/Eagle Landing Residence Hall (408 Brant St), noon–5pm

Wednesday, March 22

Durham Technical Community College/Wynn Center Bldg (1637 Lawson St, 10 Multipurpose Room), 10am–3pm

Thursday, March 30

Bonefish Grill (7820 Hwy 751), 3–8pm

Friday, March 31

Duke Health Technology Solutions (14 Moore Dr), 10am–3pm

Click the graphic and add

your ZIP code to find out.

THAT ALL MAY READ

The National Library Service in Washington DC, in cooperation with libraries across the country, hosts the That All May Read program. People with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that keeps them from reading or holding a book can have braille or audio books delivered to them free of charge. You can choose physical books or free downloads. Click here to get started.

NORTH CAROLINA READING SERVICE

211 E Six Forks Rd, Suite 103, Raleigh,

919-832-5138, website:

The North Carolina Reading Service is a free service helps blind and visually impaired people keep up with the news and entertainment worlds. Volunteers read local news stories, editorials, obituaries, books, and advertisements from a variety of publications. They also read special programs that discuss specific topics like education, tech tips, and legal matters. Users can then listen via their smartphone and tablet apps, the NCRS website, or with any “Alexa”-enabled device.

Listeners who don’t have internet access can borrow specially tuned receivers free of charge. Donations to NCRS help cover the average price of $70 per receiver, and some listeners make donations if they’re able to. Click here to see the various ways of enjoying the broadcasts and to see the list of podcasts included with the service. Visit the website if you’d like to make a monetary donation or if you’d like to be a volunteer reader.

FREE VITAMINS

Hersey Pharmacy (4711 Hope Valley Rd, in the Woodcroft Shopping Center) offers free vitamins for kids, adults, and seniors. Stop by and sign up for your 30-day supply; you can pick up free vitamins every month. Call 919-346-4008 for more info.

HEALTH EQUIPMENT LOAN PROGRAM

4206 N Roxboro St, Suite 100, 919-748-1022, website:

Project Access connects people who don’t have health insurance with medical services that are affordable or free of charge, and HELP, the Health Equipment Loan Program, helps everyday folks gain access to medical equipment that they couldn’t otherwise afford.

If you any have walkers, wheelchairs, bedside commodes, canes, knee-scooters, reachers (pickup or grabber sticks), tub-transfer benches, etc, it would be greatly appreciated if you can donate them. Everything will be sanitized and repaired if necessary so they can be loaned out to people for easily renewable 3-month periods regardless of their insurance status. HELP is open Tuesdays (10am–2pm) and Fridays (1–5pm). Visit the website or call and ask for the manager, Amy Armstrong, for more info.