Special to the WJH
Memorial Satilla Health and Ware County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the YMCA of Waycross, collected 125 pounds of prescription medications during “Crush the Crisis,” a prescription drug return program held Saturday, October 25.
The event aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications.
“Crush the Crisis” coincides with the Drug Enf orcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications before they fall into the wrong hands.
National drug overdose deaths decreased by nearly 27 percent in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, prescription drug misuse remains a public health crisis in the United States.
“At Memorial Satilla, caring for the community is fundamental to who we are,” said Chief Executive Officer Damon Barrett. “Crush the Crisis isn't just an event, it’s a reflection of our ongoing commitment to the community's safety. “By offering a secure solution to keep unused and expired medications out of the wrong hands, we're taking essential steps to safeguard healthier futures.”
Since 2019, HCA Healthcare has helped safely dispose of more than 88,000 pounds of unused or expired medication. This year marks another milestone in the organization’s ongoing effort to reach 100,000 pounds of safely collected medications.
As a part of the commitment to combat prescription drug misuse MSH’s parent company 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 44 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) and Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS).
ESR is a multi-modal approach to pain management using pre, intra and post-operative interventions to optimize outcomes. The programs have demonstrated significant improvements in surgical recovery and patient satisfaction, including decreases in opioid usage.
EPSC aims to stem increasing rates of opioidrelated 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.
