Los Robles collects 525 pounds of medications during Crush the Crisis
Los Robles Health System today announced that it collected 525 pounds of medications during its annual “Crush the Crisis” national opioid take back day on Saturday, October 29, 2022, aligning with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, to raise awareness about the danger of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. Community members participated in the event by dropping off unused and expired medications which were collected by law enforcement officers from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
“Crush the Crisis was a great opportunity to team up with our community on this important cause, and to also address the opioid crisis and identify safe and proper ways to dispose of medications that often are forgotten about,” stated Dr. Gabriella Sherman, chief medical officer of Los Robles Health System.
Los Robles Health System is part of the national HCA Healthcare system that also uses 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, 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.
This year, all 15 HCA Healthcare U.S. divisions participated in a “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day at 110 collection sites across 17 states.