HCA Healthcare Marks Major Milestone in Seventh Annual “Crush the Crisis,” Collecting Nearly 20,000 Pounds of Medications Nationwide
one of the United States’ largest and most influential healthcare providers, announced the results of its seventh annual Crush the Crisis” national prescription drug take back event, reporting the collection of 19,846 pounds of unused or expired medications. This amount represents approximately 13.6 million individual doses returned by community members across the country, underscoring the ongoing national need for safe disposal options and the continuing threat posed by prescription drug misuse.
With this year’s results, they has now collected more than 108,500 pounds of medications since officially launching Crush the Crisis” as a systemwide initiative in 2019. What began as a small, locally driven program has grown into a major annual mobilization across all 15 U.S. divisions of HCA Healthcare—demonstrating the organization’s long-term commitment to protecting communities from the dangers of unused opioids and other potentially harmful prescriptions.
A Milestone Year Reflecting the Organization’s Mission
Dr. Randy Fagin, senior vice president and chief quality officer at HCA Healthcare, emphasized the significance of this year’s achievement. “I am incredibly proud of our organization in this milestone year,” he said. “At our core, we are people taking care of people, and our annual ‘Crush the Crisis’ take back day is a powerful reflection of that commitment. I am grateful to all of our colleagues and local law enforcement partners for helping us create healthier tomorrows for our communities.”
Dr. Fagin’s remarks highlight the collaborative nature of the initiative. The ability to collect nearly 20,000 pounds of medication in a single day requires extensive coordination, community trust, and dedicated partnerships. The results signal not only the operational capacity of They network but also the public’s increasing awareness of the risks associated with improper medication storage and disposal.
Nationwide Participation Across All HCA Divisions
During this year’s event, the facilities across the organization’s entire U.S. footprint partnered with local law enforcement agencies to create secure, anonymous, and accessible drop-off locations for community members. These partnerships ensure compliance with federal regulations, uphold safety protocols, and provide communities with a reliable point of disposal for medications that might otherwise sit unused in medicine cabinets—where they may be misused, stolen, or accidentally ingested.
The timing of Crush the Crisis” also aligns with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which itself collected 571,054 pounds of medication nationwide. Through their alignment with the DEA’s efforts, HCA Healthcare facilities contribute to a larger national movement aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic through prevention, public education, and responsible disposal options.
Leading Facilities in Medication Collection
Among the many participating locations, several there facilities stood out for collecting the highest volumes of medications during this year’s event. These top contributors include:
- HealthONE Aurora in Aurora, Colorado – 1,768 pounds
- Medical City McKinney in McKinney, Texas – 644 pounds
- Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana – 502 pounds
- Methodist Hospital | Northeast in Live Oak, Texas – 458 pounds
- CJW Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia – 453 pounds
These figures highlight the broad geographical reach of the program and the consistent community engagement across diverse regions—from major metropolitan areas to smaller, local communities. Each participating facility plays an essential role in expanding access to safe medication disposal and reinforcing the organization’s mission to improve health and well-being.
Addressing Prescription Drug Misuse With Data and Innovation
Beyond its annual take back event,there leverages the power of its extensive clinical network and vast amount of health data to develop strategies aimed at reducing prescription drug misuse and promoting safer pain management.
With approximately 44 million patient encounters each year, they possesses one of the largest health data sets in the nation. This data plays a key role in informing and optimizing various programs geared toward improving patient outcomes and reducing reliance on opioids.
Some of the organization’s most impactful initiatives include:
Enhanced Surgical Recovery (ESR) Programs
The ESR approach is a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy designed to improve the patient experience before, during, and after surgery. This multi-modal model focuses on preparing patients proactively, using non-opioid pain relief methods when possible, and applying carefully managed post-operative interventions. The goals of ESR include:
- Minimizing opioid exposure
- Accelerating recovery times
- Reducing complications
- Improving patient satisfaction
there reports that ESR programs have demonstrated significant success in reducing opioid usage following surgery—one of the key predictors of long-term opioid dependence.
Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS)
Prescription security is a major challenge in combating opioid misuse. HCA Healthcare’s EPCS program aims to strengthen prescription integrity by making it more difficult for individuals to doctor-shop, alter prescriptions, or otherwise improperly obtain controlled substances. By enabling physicians to electronically prescribe opioids within a secure environment, EPCS helps:
- Create traceable prescription pathways
- Integrate prescribing data with electronic health records
- Reduce risks of fraud or diversion
- Ensure more informed and judicious prescribing practices
This systemwide effort is part of HCA Healthcare’s broader commitment to using technology and data to improve patient safety.
National Collaboration to Address Opioid Misuse
they also collaborates closely with the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises. Through this partnership, the organization contributes clinical expertise, data insights, and operational perspectives to national leaders who are studying the root causes of opioid misuse and developing evidence-based strategies to counteract it.
Participation in the collaborative underscores HCA Healthcare’s unique position as both a large-scale care provider and a data-driven healthcare innovator. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, they helps influence broader industry transformation and contributes meaningfully to national efforts to reduce the impact of substance use disorders.
A Continued Commitment to Safer Communities
As the opioid epidemic continues to affect communities across the United States, safe disposal of medications remains a critical component of prevention. Unused medications left at home are one of the most common sources of misuse, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Events like “Crush the Crisis” provide a safe, convenient, and trusted avenue for individuals to rid their homes of medications they no longer need.
With more than 108,500 pounds of collected medications since 2019, HCA Healthcare’s annual event highlights a consistent dedication to public health and a proactive stance against one of the nation’s most pressing health crises. The organization plans to continue expanding the reach and impact of the initiative in years to come, leveraging community partnerships, data science, and clinical innovation to support healthier and safer communities nationwide.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services comprising 191 hospitals and approximately 2,500 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its approximately 44 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives.
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