HCA Virginia collects 2,741 pounds of medication during "Crush the Crisis" event

HCA Virginia collected 2,741 pounds of medications during HCA Healthcare’s sixth annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day on Oct. 10, 2024. Chippenham and Johnston-Willis hospitals in Richmond led all HCA Healthcare facilities across the country with 992 pounds of collected medication.   

Working alongside local law enforcement officers, the healthcare system invited community members to safely and anonymously dispose of their unused and expired medications. 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 chief medical officer. “We are proud to partner with law enforcement to combat opioid abuse and provide a safe way to dispose of medication.”  

In total, HCA Healthcare collected 21,137 pounds, which surpassed last year’s totals and is the most the organization has ever collected during the annual event. HCA Healthcare has now collected more than 88,600 pounds of medication since launching “Crush the Crisis” as an enterprise initiative in 2019.  

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