HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (November 4, 2022) – HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) collected 56.8 pounds of medications during the second annual Crush the Crisis National Opioid Take Back Day event on Saturday, October 29, 2022. This event aligns with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which raises 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 the HCSO deputies.
“We’re very fortunate that the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office has a 24/7/365 safe medication drop-off at their main office,” said David P. Slovut, chief medical officer. “This annual event provides us the opportunity to connect with community members, help take unused and expired medication off the streets, and to bring awareness to that 24/7 /365 drop-off opportunity. The sooner we get these medications out of homes and off the streets, the better.”
As an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital is part of a health system that also uses science and data to reduce opioid misuse and transform pain management, with initiatives in surgical, emergency and other care settings. These include:
- 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 shop for doctors and alter prescriptions. Doctors 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 National Opioid Take Back Day at 110 collection sites across 17 states.
Photo: The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office collected 98.7 throughout the county, with 56.8 coming from HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital’s collection site, which was managed by: Deputy Juan Perez; Deputy Chris Morito; Deputy Deena Groves; Laura Lonergan, Pharm.D., HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital; and Lily Greenan, Hernando County Community Coalition
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About HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital
HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital has been serving the Nature Coast since 1984 and is the largest private employer and largest hospital in Hernando County with 350 beds. The facility offers Hernando County’s only heart surgery program. Other key services include the maternity suites, neonatal intensive care, women’s imaging, cancer care, orthopedics, and spine services. HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital’s healthcare delivery team is comprised of more than 600 physicians, 1,800 caregivers, and more than 100 volunteers. The hospital is a statutory teaching hospital training the next generation of physicians. For more information, visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com