TriStar Health announced today that it is hosting its annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, 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 before they fall into the wrong hands.

Last year – for the first time since 2018 – there was a decrease in national drug overdose deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, prescription drug misuse remains a public health crisis in the United States. Locally, there were more than 3,800 drug overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2022, according to the CDC.

“As part of our mission, we are committed to improving the overall health and wellbeing of our community,” said Dr. Kevin Hamilton, chief medical officer at TriStar Hendersonville. “This event is a great example of how we prevent potential harm by offering a safe and anonymous way to dispose of unneeded medications.”

TriStar Hendersonville is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s sixth annual national “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day. Last year, more than 120 HCA Healthcare facilities from all 15 U.S. divisions partnered with local law enforcement. In total, approximately 13,136 pounds, equivalent to 9.02 million doses, of unused and expired prescription medications were collected.

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 Hendersonville, has worked with the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.

HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 43 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 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 TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center at 355 New Shackle Island Road in Hendersonville from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on October 26. For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll-free number at (833) 582-1970.