FB Event Links:
- FWDH: https://www.facebook.com/share/63Hfbe7vn8GNpEZD/
- Navarre: https://www.facebook.com/share/PErFpvcYayW7kSme/
If you would like to interview our lead pharmacist or partner agencies on Crush the Crisis, please shoot me a text or give me a call!
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HCA FLORIDA FORT WALTON-DESTIN HOSPITAL TO HOST “CRUSH THE CRISIS” PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY ON OCTOBER 26
Fort Walton Beach, FL, October 2, 2024 – HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and HCA Florida Navarre Emergency announced today that it is hosting a ‘Crush the Crisis’ prescription drug take back day on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 to help raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. The event, which coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications 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.
“For more than 50 years, HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital has cared for the tri-county area, and our ‘Crush the Crisis’ prescription take back day is a testament to this commitment,” said Dr. Dan Hagler, Chief Medical Officer of HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. “By offering a safe and anonymous way to dispose of medications, reducing the risk of misuse and preventing potential harm, we are helping to create healthier tomorrows for the people who live and work in our community.”
HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and HCA Florida Navarre Emergency is participating as part of 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. In total, approximately 13,136 pounds, equivalent to 9.02 million doses, of unused and expired prescription medications were collected.
Law enforcement officers from the Fort Walton Beach Police Department and Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office 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 HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and HCA Florida Navarre Emergency, 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 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.
‘Crush the Crisis’ will take place at two locations, see details below.
HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
1000 Mar Walt Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
October 26, 2024 | 9:00 AM – Noon
HCA Florida Navarre Emergency
1809 Granada Street, Navarre, FL 32566
October 26, 2024 | 9:00 AM – Noon
For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll-free number at (833) 582-1970.
V/r,
Liz Eulberg
Director, Communications and Community Engagement
HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
1000 Mar Walt Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital
2190 FL-85 N, Niceville, FL 32578
O 850.315.1352 M 850.228.6223
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