Brownsville, TX – Valley Regional Medical Center today announced that along with the Brownsville Police Department, it collected 55 pounds of medications during its “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day on October 23, 2021, aligning with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, to help combat the nation’s opioid crisis.
Approximately 96 HCA Healthcare facilities at 98 event locations participated in a “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day in communities across 17 states. A grand total of 15,566 pounds were collected through the participating facilities; an estimated 10.7 million doses of medication.
To further help combat the nation’s opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Valley Regional 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 $750,000 to the Collaborative to support the development of safer pain management protocols and reversal of the opioid crisis.
As an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, Valley Regional Medical Center is part of a health 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 that has demonstrated significant improvements in surgical recovery and a reduction in the use of opioids. HCA Healthcare data from more than 86,000 joint replacement, gynecologic oncology, colorectal and bariatric surgeries using ESR in 2020 revealed an up to 26 percent reduction in opioid usage compared to those surgeries without the use of ESR. As of August 2021, ESR is live at 168 HCA Healthcare facilities, including Valley Regional Medical Center, with the goal to make ESR the standard of care for all service lines.
- 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. EPCS allows physicians to have access to aggregated electronic health records which can provide data that will help them to prescribe opioids judiciously.
Learn more about how to safely dispose of unused medicines
About HCA Houston Healthcare
HCA Houston Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare in the Houston area, where excellent trained physicians, nurses and allied health professionals treat almost a million patients annually. With an employee base of 15,000, HCA Houston Healthcare’s comprehensive network includes 13 hospitals, 10 outpatient surgery centers, 11 freestanding emergency centers and numerous freestanding diagnostic imaging facilities in the greater Houston area. It also includes a regional transfer center that provides one-phone-call access and support for patient transfers into and out of HCA Houston Healthcare facilities as well as access to ground and air transportation within a 150-mile radius. As one of the region’s largest healthcare systems, HCA Houston Healthcare recognizes the importance of giving back to the communities we serve. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Houston Healthcare also is a major supporter of the University of Houston College of Nursing and the new University of Houston College of Medicine. For more information, visit HCAHoustonHealthcare.com