Memorial Hospital hosts “Crush the Crisis” opioid Take Back Day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Saturday, Memorial Hospital Jacksonville hosted its annual “Crush the Crisis” opioid Take Back Day in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid drugs.

Community members were invited to safely and anonymously dispose of their unused or expired prescription medications via a drive-through drop-off event.

“As we better understand the opioid crisis, we learn that a significant number of opioid addictions and overdose deaths come from individuals accessing unused opioids prescriptions of family and friends,” said Ron McGrier, PharmD, Pharmacy Operations Manager at Memorial Hospital. “Crush the Crisis aims to educate our communities on the risk of opioid misuse, while providing a safe and anonymous way to dispose of medications that may be leftover from previous procedures or other medical visits.”

JSO reported that Memorial Hospital collected 334 lbs. of medications during the event.

See photos of this years’ event HERE.

According to Memorial Hospital, in Oct. 2020, 95 HCA Healthcare facilities in 18 states collected 13,523 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications at “Crush the Crisis” events around the country.

In 2019, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.

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