NASHVILLE – TriStar Health has announced that it is hosting its annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 to help raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. The event, which coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications that may be left over from previous procedures or other medical visits.
In 2022, there were more than 109,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase from 2021. There were more than 3,800 drug overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2021, according to the CDC.
“We feel it is crucial to bring awareness to the dangers of drug misuse and abuse as the nationwide drug overdose epidemic continues to grow,” said Dr. Tama Van Decar, chief medical officer at TriStar Health. “As a part of our commitment to the community, we are proud to support and help educate the community on the proper disposal of medications.”
TriStar Health is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s fifth annual national “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day. In October 2022, the event included more than 100 locations across 17 states. In total, approximately 19,423 pounds, equivalent to 13.4 million doses, of unused and expired prescription medications were collected. Locally, TriStar Health collected 923 pounds of medications last year.
Law enforcement officers will be collecting tablets, capsules and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (Opana). Ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medication in leak-proof containers, vape cartridges without batteries and pet medication will also be accepted. Any medications will be accepted; however, needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted.
As a part of their commitment to combat prescription drug misuse, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of TriStar Health, has worked with the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. HCA Healthcare has given $750,000 to the Collaborative to support the development of safer pain management protocols and the reversal of the opioid crisis.
As a learning health system, HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 37 million annual patient encounters to help continuously improve care. The organization uses the science of “big data” to 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 an up to 44% decrease in opioid usage for some surgeries.
- Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS): aims to stem increasing rates of prescription pain reliever-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.
“Crush the Crisis” will take place at the following locations from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on October 28. For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll-free number at (833) 582-1970.
- TriStar Centennial Medical Center
2400 Patterson Street – Nashville, TN 37203
- TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center
355 New Shackle Island Road – Hendersonville, TN 37075
(Medication collected from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
- TriStar Horizon Medical Center
111 Highway 70 East – Dickson, TN 37055
(Medication collected from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
- TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center
CVS at 903 Memorial Blvd. – Springfield, TN 37172
(Medication collected from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
- TriStar Skyline Medical Center
3441 Dickerson Pike – Nashville, TN 37207
- TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center
391 Wallace Road – Nashville, TN 37211
- TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center
200 StoneCrest Boulevard – Smyrna, TN 37167
(Medication collected from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
- TriStar Summit Medical Center
5655 Frist Boulevard – Hermitage, TN 37076
- TriStar Spring Hill ER
3001 Reserve Boulevard – Spring Hill, TN 37174