The "Crush the Crisis" prescription drug take-back day is October 26.

HCA Florida Englewood Hospital will host its third “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take-back day on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the HCA Florida Wellen Park Medical Office. The office is at 12169 Mercado Drive, in North Port, next to Publix in the West Villages Shopping Center.

The event will help raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. It coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and offers the community an opportunity to dispose of medications safely and anonymously 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. In 2022, opioid or drug overdose were the cause of 92 deaths in Charlotte County and 213 deaths in Sarasota County.

“HCA Florida Englewood Hospital has been caring for our community for nearly 40 years. Our Crush the Crisis prescription take-back day provides a safe and anonymous way to dispose of medications, reducing the risk of misuse and preventing potential harm,” said Paul Chupka, D.O., chief medical officer of Englewood Hospital. “It's crucial to bring awareness to the dangers of drug misuse and we are committed to supporting and educating the community on proper medication disposal.”

Englewood Hospital is participating in 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. Approximately 13,136 pounds, equivalent to 9.02 million doses, of unused and expired prescription medications were collected.

Law enforcement officers from the North Port 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.

As a part of their commitment to combat prescription drug misuse, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Englewood Hospital, 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 significantly improved surgical recovery and patient satisfaction, including decreased 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. 

Englewood Hospital will not be a collection station for “Crush the Crisis.”

Follow the signs for the convenient event drive-through or walk-up.

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