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TriStar Summit Medical Center to hold ‘Crush the Crisis’ take-back day




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TriStar Summit Medical Center will hold an opioid take-back event to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and proper disposal of medications Oct. 24.

Called “Crush the Crisis,” the event will align with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and invites community members to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription medications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. suffered from an opioid use disorder, and more than 67,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2018. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the U.S. has had an increase in opioid use, with 40 states reporting increases in opioid-related mortality, according to the American Medical Association. In 2018, drug overdose deaths in Tennessee that involved opioids totaled 1,307, a rate of 19.9% versus 14.6% nationally.

“Stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic may be exacerbating the opioid crisis by causing many Americans to have feelings of anxiety, grief, isolation, financial worry and an ongoing sense of uncertainty, affecting those with substance use disorders, as well as those at risk of developing one,” said Dr. Tama VanDecar, TriStar Health chief medical officer. “Now is more important than ever to get unused pain medications out of homes and to educate the community about the serious threat of opioid misuse.”

Law enforcement officers from Metro Nashville Hermitage police will collect 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. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place at the event, including universal masking, social distancing, removal of high-touch items and a drive-through collection option.

TriStar Summit is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s second-annual national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take-back day. In fall 2019, 100 HCA Healthcare facilities in 16 states collected 5,887 pounds of unused and expired medications at nationwide “Crush the Crisis” events.

“Crush the Crisis” will take place at all TriStar Health facilities Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The community is invited to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription medications at:

• TriStar Centennial Medical Center at 2300 Patterson St. in Nashville.

• TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center at 355 New Shackle Island Road in Hendersonville from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

• TriStar Horizon Medical Center at 111 Highway 70 E. in Dickson from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

• TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital at 1801 Ashley Circle in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

• TriStar Skyline Medical Center at 3441 Dickerson Pike in Nashville.

• TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center at 391 Wallace Road in Nashville.

• TriStar Summit Medical Center at 5655 Frist Blvd. in Hermitage.

• TriStar Spring Hill Emergency Room at 3001 Reserve Blvd. in Spring Hill.

For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call 833-582-1970.

TriStar Summit Medical Center offers a full array of acute care services, including emergency care, general surgery, cardiology, obstetrics, orthopaedics, intensive care, physical medicine, neurology, outpatient diagnostic services, an ortho spine center and cancer care. It is designated as one of three hospitals in Tennessee as a Pathway to Excellence organization by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.  TriStar Summit is designated as a chest pain center with primary PCI accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. For more information about the services offered and health plans accepted by TriStar Summit, call TriStar MedLine at 615-342-1919 or visit tristarsummit.com.

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