{"id":397401,"date":"2020-12-10T09:03:18","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=397401"},"modified":"2020-12-10T09:03:18","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:03:18","slug":"hca-healthcare-collects-record-breaking-13523-pounds-of-medication-during-2020-crush-the-crisis-opioid-take-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/hca-healthcare-collects-record-breaking-13523-pounds-of-medication-during-2020-crush-the-crisis-opioid-take-back\/","title":{"rendered":"HCA Healthcare Collects Record-Breaking 13,523 Pounds of Medication During 2020 \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d Opioid Take Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

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HCA Healthcare Collects Record-Breaking 13,523 Pounds of Medication During 2020 \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d Opioid Take Back <\/b><\/p>\n

Community events at 95 facilities across the country properly dispose of more than twice as much medication as previous year <\/i><\/p>\n

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)–HCA Healthcare<\/a>, one of the nation\u2019s leading healthcare providers, today announced that it collected 13,523 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications during its \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d opioid take back day enterprise events, more than twice as much as it collected last year. The events, which took place at 95 HCA Healthcare facilities across 18 states on October 24, 2020, in alignment with the Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, 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.\n<\/p>\n

\nAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the U.S. is seeing a significant increase in opioid usage, with 40 states reporting an increase in opioid-related mortality, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d called on communities across the country to address this timely issue. The events collectively disposed of an estimated 9.3 million doses of medication, eliminating the adverse possibility of potential misuse.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cCommunities across the country came together in the midst of this global pandemic to properly dispose of expired and unused medications and make a difference in our battle against the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Dr. Michael Schlosser, chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare\u2019s national group and vice president of group operations, Clinical Operations Group. \u201cThank you to the DEA, local law enforcement agencies, hospital volunteers and all the many participants who showed up to help \u2018Crush the Crisis.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nThe concept of \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d was spearheaded by Sara Stedman, an orthopaedic nurse in HCA Healthcare\u2019s TriStar Division, when she organized a single take back event at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2017. Last year, \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d was rolled out nationally, spanning 100 locations across 16 states, with 5,887 pounds of medication collected.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe idea for \u2018Crush the Crisis\u2019 came to me after I witnessed the devastating effects that opioid abuse can have on an individual and his or her family,\u201d said Stedman. \u201cThanks to the backing of HCA Healthcare, it is truly remarkable to see how this simple idea has evolved into a national movement that\u2019s helping to bring greater awareness to the dangers of opioid misuse and why it\u2019s important to safely and properly dispose of these unused and expired medications before they fall into the hands of someone who may abuse them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nA total of 95 facilities across 18 states around the country participated in \u201cCrush the Crisis\u201d events by partnering with local law enforcement agencies to collect unused and expired prescription medications. HCA Healthcare facility events with the greatest amount of medication collected include:\n<\/p>\n