HCA HealthONE collects 3,086 pounds of medication during "Crush the Crisis" event

Denver, Colo. — HCA HealthONE announced today that it collected 3,086 pounds of medication during HCA Healthcare’s seventh annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day. In total, HCA Healthcare has now collected more than 108,500 pounds of medication since launching “Crush the Crisis” across the country in 2019.

Highlights from across our HCA HealthONE hospitals include:

• HCA HealthONE Aurora collecting 1,768 pounds;
• HCA HealthONE Sky Ridge collecting 605 pounds;
• Supporting nine total collection sites across metro Denver.

“The success of this year’s ‘Crush the Crisis’ event underscores our commitment to combating prescription drug misuse and protecting the health of our communities. By safely removing thousands of pounds of unused medications, we are reducing the risk of addiction and supporting families in making safer choices,” stated Dr. Mike Reitz, chief medical officer for HCA HealthONE.  “This initiative, combined with our evidence-based pain management programs, reflects how we leverage data and innovation to improve patient outcomes and promote wellness beyond the walls of our hospitals.”

HCA HealthONE partnered with multiple law enforcement agencies to help community members safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired medication while bringing awareness to the dangers of prescription drug misuse. The event was held in alignment with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which collected 571,054 pounds of medication.

As part of HCA Healthcare, which draws on data from its approximately 44 million annual patient encounters, HCA HealthONE uses the science of “big data” to help reduce prescription drug 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 using pre-, intra- and post-operative interventions to optimize outcomes. HCA Healthcare’s ESR programs have demonstrated significant improvements in surgical recovery and patient satisfaction, including decreases in opioid usage.
• 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. Physicians have access to aggregated electronic health records, providing data that will allow them to prescribe opioids judiciously.