For the first time since 2018, there was a decrease in national drug overdose deaths last year in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, overdose deaths are actually on the rise by 8 percent year over year in Utah, and drug misuse remains a public health crisis across the nation.
In an effort to combat this troubling trend, HCA Healthcare facilities across the nation – known locally as MountainStar Healthcare – will partner with local law enforcement agencies on Saturday, October 26, 2024 to host “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day events.
“The drug overdose epidemic continues to affect communities across the nation and here in Utah,” said Janet Zarndt, vice president of pharmacy services for MountainStar Healthcare, which serves over a million annual patient interactions in the Beehive State. “As part of our commitment to serving Utahns, we are proud to provide a safe way for people to get unused and expired medications out of their homes.”
Zarndt spoke LIVE Wednesday about the event on FOX13’s The PLACE.
“We’re so grateful to the law enforcement agencies and the teams at these 13 locations who protect the community from the dangers of drug misuse by participating in Crush the Crisis,” Zarndt added.
MountainStar Healthcare is committed to bringing frontline solutions to curb the tide of prescription medication misuse and addiction across the country. This includes the participation of 13 total drop off locations in Utah.
Thanks to the cooperation of local law enforcement agencies, Utahns will have 13 Utah’s convenient options for prescription drug take back day this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.:
· Seven of the eight MountainStar hospitals will host drop-off locations: Cache Valley Hospital (Logan), Lakeview Hospital (Bountiful), Lone Peak Hospital (Draper), Mountain View Hospital (Payson), Ogden Regional Medical Center, St. Mark’s Hospital (Millcreek/Salt Lake City) and Timpanogos Regional Hospital (Orem).
· Three of the network’s six freestanding emergency centers will also participate: Herriman Emergency Center, Pleasant View Emergency Center and Syracuse Emergency Center.
· Additionally, community members can drop off expired and unused medications at three of the eight CareNow urgent care clinics: American Fork, Murray and South Jordan.
The event coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications.
The focus of the “Crush the Crisis” event is to collect:
o Tablets or capsules in any packaging
o Patches
o Medicated Ointments, location or drops
o Liquid medications (in leak-proof containers)
o Vape cartridges (without batteries)
o Pet medications
Items that will not be accepted include: needles, syringes, lancets or illegal drugs.
“Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day events aim to educate the community about the risk of prescription drug misuse while providing a safe and anonymous way to dispose of medications that may be left over from previous procedures or other medical visits.
Commonly prescribed opioids that you may have in your medicine cabinet include:
· Oxycodone (Oxycontin)
· Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
· Codeine
· Morphine, and
· Methadone
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States.
Crushing the Crisis at MountainStar Healthcare Hospitals
MountainStar Healthcare’s parent organization, HCA Healthcare, a learning health system, 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.
Ogden Regional Medical Center offers one of the only inpatient residential treatment programs for addiction services that is affiliated with a hospital in the State of Utah. The residential treatment program provides a level of care for patients after they successfully completed detox and are medically stable. To learn more about the program and others, click here.
Those in need of substance use disorder or addiction treatment can call the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). It is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-days-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
For more information about this event and to find out where you can drop off your unused or expired prescriptions, visit HCAHealthcare.com/CrushTheCrisis or call the toll-free number (833) 582-1970.
