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On Saturday, September 7, HCA Healthcare - Orlando Market will host "Crush the Crisis," an opioid take back event at three of its area hospitals and freestanding emergency rooms. Officers from local law enforcement agencies will be on site to assist with the collection and disposal of unused medications.

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2017. Among those, 47,600 involved opioids. In Florida, the rate of drug overdose deaths increased significantly by 5.9 percent from 2016 (23.7 per 100,000) to 2017 (25.1 per 100,000), highlighting the growing need for community education on the dangers of recreational opioid use.

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Participating "Crush the Crisis" locations 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). Needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted.

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HCA Healthcare - Orlando Market is participating as part of HCA Healthcare's first national "Crush the Crisis" opioid take back day, along with more than 65 HCA Healthcare facilities across 14 states are uniting to collect unused or expired opioids for one day. To further help combat the nation's opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare proudly partners with the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, consisting of more than 50 organizations that share best practices and identify gaps in the safe treatment of opioid addiction.

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A learning health system, which uses data from approximately 31 million annual patient encounters to help continuously improve care, HCA Healthcare has been using the science of "big data" to reduce opioid misuse and transform pain management, with initiatives in surgical, emergency and other care settings, including:

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• Enhanced Surgical Recovery (ESR)/Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Room (ALTO in the ER): HCA Healthcare focuses on a multi-modal approach to acute pain management. This means two or more methods or medications are used to reduce the need to use opioids to manage a patient's pain while recovering from surgery or in the emergency room. As of August 2019, ESR is live at 140 HCA Healthcare facilities, with the goal to implement in all facilities, in at least one major service line, by the end of 2019. ALTO protocols will be expanded enterprise-wide by the end of 2019.

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• Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS): Physicians have access to aggregated electronic health records that make it more difficult for medication-seekers to doctor-shop or alter prescriptions. ECPS is available across HCA Healthcare.

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HCA Healthcare - Orlando Market's "Crush the Crisis" initiative will take place at:

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· Poinciana Medical Center - 325 Cypress Parkway, Kissimmee 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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· Heathrow ER - 4525 International Parkway, Sanford 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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· Baldwin Park ER - 2361 N. Semoran Blvd. Orlando 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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For more information, call 833.582.1970.