Lake City Medical Center Hosts “Crush the Crisis” Opioid Take Back Day on October 24
~ Community invited to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription medications ~

Lake City, Fla. – Lake City Medical Center announced today that on Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am it will host “Crush the Crisis,” an opioid take back day event to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and proper disposal of medications. The event aligns with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and invites community members to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription medications. The designated “Crush the Crisis” drop-off location will take place at the Lake City Medical Center Plaza at 3140 Medical Center Lane.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. suffered from an opioid use disorder and more than 67,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2018. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the United States is seeing an increase in opioid usage, with 40 states including Florida reporting increases in opioid-related abuse, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

“Stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic may be exacerbating the opioid crisis by causing many Americans to have feelings of anxiety, grief, isolation, financial worry, and an ongoing sense of uncertainty, affecting those with substance use disorders as well as those at risk of developing one,” said Rick Naegler, CEO, LCMC. “Now, it is more important than ever to get unused pain medications out of homes and to educate the community about the serious threat of opioid misuse.”

During the “Crush the Crisis” event, law enforcement officers from the LCPD will be in attendance collecting tablets, capsules and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (Opana). Needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place at the event, including universal masking, social distancing, removal of high-touch items and a drive-through collection option.

Lake City Medical Center is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s second annual national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day. To further help combat the nation’s opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Lake City Medical Center, proudly partners with and provides clinical insight to the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. HCA Healthcare has committed $500,000 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 and, importantly, up to a 50.8 percent decrease in opioid use in data collected from 124,000 major abdominal, joint, gynecologic oncology, spinal and bariatric surgeries from January 2018 - August 2020.
• Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Room (ALTO in the ER): a multi-modal approach to acute pain management, which focuses on alternative medication to hit various pain receptors as a first line treatment for common painful conditions. Initial results of ALTO pilot programs demonstrate a 36 percent reduction in opioid administrations. 
• 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 record (EHR) providing data that will allow them to prescribe opioids judiciously.   

For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll free number at (833) 582-1970.