Ninety-five HCA Healthcare facilities across 18 states collected 13,523 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications on Oct. 24, as part of a company effort to combat the opioid crisis.
Bringing in an estimated 9.3 million doses of medication, HCA Healthcare's 2020 "Crush the Crisis" events were held in alignment with the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
With help from local law enforcement agencies, HCA Healthcare facilities collected more than double the amount of medication collected in 2019.
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare rolled out "Crush the Crisis" nationally in 2019 to educate communities about the dangers of opioid misuse as well as the importance of properly disposing of expired or unused medications.
HCA Healthcare's first "Crush the Crisis" opioid take-back event was organized in 2017 by Sara Stedman, RN. Ms. Stedman is an orthopedic nurse navigator at Nashville-based TriStar Centennial Medical Center, where the inaugural event took place.