HCA Healthcare Capital Division collects 2,483 pounds of medication during event

RICHMOND, VA  — HCA Healthcare Capital Division, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, collected 2,483 pounds of medications during HCA Healthcare’s fifth annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day on Oct. 28, 2023. HCA Healthcare collected 13,136 pounds in total and the Capital Division, which includes 18 hospitals across Virginia, New Hampshire, and Indiana, led the enterprise in collections. Within the Capital Division, Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals collected the most at 601 pounds.

Working alongside local law enforcement officers, the healthcare system invited community members to safely and anonymously dispose of their unused and expired medications for proper disposal. The event aligned with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and helped raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. 

“Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life, and ‘Crush the Crisis’ is an excellent example of our dedication to that goal, ” said Dr. Ray Makhoul, HCA Healthcare Capital Division’s chief medical officer. “We are proud to partner with law enforcement to combat opioid abuse and provide a safe way to dispose of medication.”

HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 37 million annual patient encounters to help continuously improve care. As a part of HCA Healthcare, the Capital Division 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.

This year, all 15 HCA Healthcare U.S. divisions participated in the “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day at 138 collection sites across 15 states.