San Jose, CA – Regional Medical Center announced today that it is hosting a “Crush the Crisis” national opioid take back day to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications, on Saturday, October 29, 2022. The event coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and invites the community to safely dispose of unused or expired medication.
In 2021, there were more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a near 15 percent increase in drug related deaths from 2020. The latest data (2020) from the California Department of Public Health shows there were more than 5,500 deaths related to any opioid overdose.
“Regional Medical Center has seen firsthand the devastating consequences of drug misuse and abuse,” said Dr. Tarannum Guller, chief medical officer of Regional Medical Center. “As a leading healthcare provider in San Jose, we believe it is vital to increase awareness of this important issue and offer our community a safe way to dispose of medications to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.”
Law enforcement officers from the San Jose Police Department 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.
Regional Medical Center is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s fourth annual national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day. In October 2021, 96 HCA Healthcare facilities in 17 states collected 15,566 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications at “Crush the Crisis” events across the nation.
As a part of their commitment to curb the opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Regional Medical Center, 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 reversal of the opioid crisis.
As a learning health system, HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 35 million annual patient encounters to help continuously improve care. The organization uses the science of “big data” to reduce opioid 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.
“Crush the Crisis” will take place at Regional Medical Center at 225 N.Jackson Avenue San Jose, CA 95116. For more information, visit HCAhealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll free number at (833) 582-1970.