HCA Healthcare Exceeds “Crush the Crisis” Record by Collecting 15,566 Pounds of Medication During Opioid Take Back Events
November 22 2021 - 2:30PM
Business Wire
HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading
healthcare providers, today announced that it collected a
record-breaking 15,566 pounds of unused and expired medications,
exceeding last year’s record of 13,523 pounds, during its third
annual “Crush the Crisis” enterprise opioid take back events on
October 23, 2021. A total of 96 HCA Healthcare facilities at 98
separate locations across 17 states held events that were aimed at
educating communities on the dangers of opioid misuse and the
importance of safe and proper disposal of expired and unused
prescription medications. The events collectively disposed of an
estimated 10.7 million doses of medication, eliminating the adverse
possibility of potential misuse.
“We are delighted at the continued success of our ‘Crush the
Crisis’ events that help get medications out of homes where they
can more easily end up in the wrong hands,” said Dr. Randy Fagin,
chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare’s National Group. “We are
thankful to everyone that joined us to make a difference in our
common fight against the opioid epidemic.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the U.S. has seen an
increase in opioid usage with all 50 states reporting a spike or
increase in overdose deaths since the pandemic began. HCA
Healthcare’s “Crush the Crisis” events were held in alignment with
the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription
Drug Take Back Day, which collected 744,082 pounds of
medication.
HCA Healthcare facility events with the greatest amount of
medication collected this year include:
- Chippenham Hospital and Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond,
Virginia collected 789 pounds
- The Medical Center of Aurora in Aurora, Colorado collected 625
pounds
- Methodist ER Legacy Trails in San Antonio, Texas collected 602
pounds
- Ocala Health in Ocala, Florida collected 515 pounds
- Medical City Arlington in Arlington, Texas collected 468
pounds
As a learning health system, HCA Healthcare uses data from
approximately 32 million annual patient encounters to help
continuously improve care. The Company uses the science of “big
data” to reduce opioid misuse and transform pain management, with
initiatives in surgical, emergency and other care settings,
including:
- Enhanced Surgical Recovery (ESR): a multi-modal approach
to pain management that has demonstrated significant improvements
in surgical recovery and a reduction in the use of opioids. HCA
Healthcare data from more than 86,000 joint replacement,
gynecologic oncology, colorectal and bariatric surgeries using ESR
in 2020 revealed an up to 26 percent reduction in opioid usage
compared to those surgeries without the use of ESR. As of August
2021, ESR is live at 168 HCA Healthcare facilities, with the goal
to make ESR the standard of care for all service lines.
- Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS):
aims to stem increasing rates of opioid-related addiction, misuse
diversion and death by making it more difficult for
medication-seekers to doctor-shop and alter prescriptions. EPCS
allows physicians to have access to aggregated electronic health
records which can provide data that will help them to prescribe
opioids judiciously.
For more information on “Crush the Crisis,” visit
www.hcahealthcare.com/campaigns/crush-the-crisis.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading
providers of healthcare services comprising 183 hospitals and
approximately 2,000 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery
centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician
clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in
1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the
United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals,
deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine.
HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies,
including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is
healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that
identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream
infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a
learning health system that uses its more than 32 million annual
patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and
save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on
social media.
All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA
Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA
Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.
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