HealthONE to Host "Crush the Crisis" Opioid Take Back Day on October 23

Denver, CO, October 16, 2021 --(PR.com)-- HealthONE hospitals are hosting their 3rd annual “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and proper disposal of medications. Community members are invited to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription medications. The event, which aligns with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, will take place on October 23, 2021 at five HealthONE hospitals including: Centennial Hospital, The Medical Center of Aurora, North Suburban Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center.

Why: Opioid addiction is a national health crisis. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70,630 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2019, with more than 70% attributed to opioids.

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.

What: Crush the Crisis – Opioid Take Back Day
The event 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 left over from previous procedures or other medical visits.

HealthONE is participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s third annual national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day. In October 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.

Law enforcement officers from the various Police Departments 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).

Any medications are accepted, however they will not be able to accept needles, syringes, lancets, inhalers or liquids.

COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place at the event, including masking, social distancing, and appropriate traffic patterns.

Who: HealthONE colleagues, including doctors, nurses and staff, and members of our local law enforcement agencies invite community members to safely dispose of unused medications.

When: Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 10 AM – 1 PM

Where: Centennial Hospital
14200 E Arapahoe Rd., Centennial, CO (main entrance of the hospital on the south side of the facility facing Briarwood Ave.)

The Medical Center of Aurora
1501 South Potomac Street, Aurora, CO (parking lot north of the hospital on Potomac Street between E. Arkansas Drive and E. Louisiana Avenue)

North Suburban Medical Center
Thornton Police Department, 9551 Civic Center Drive, Thornton, CO (collection area will be in the parking lot in front of the Police Station)

Sky Ridge Medical Center
10101 RidgeGate Parkway, Lone Tree, CO (patient discharge area on the southeast side of the campus, near the Emergency Department)

Swedish Medical Center
501 E. Hampden, Englewood, CO (parking lot located just south of the hospital near the main circle driveway on Hampden)

Please call Stephanie Sullivan at 303.990.3582 for more information.

HealthONE, as part of the HCA Healthcare Continental Division, was named the top health system in the state by IBM Watson Health and our system was named one of the top five large health systems in the country. HealthONE and HCA Healthcare have also been named 11 consecutive times by Ethisphere as a World’s Most Ethical Company. HealthONE is leading healthcare system in the metro Denver area with more than 11,000 employees. As part of the HealthONE system of care, The Medical Center of Aurora, Centennial Hospital, North Suburban Medical Center, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Rose Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, and Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital work together to provide a higher level of care. In addition, our family of services includes several hospital free-standing emergency departments and numerous ambulatory surgery centers, CareNow urgent care and occupational medicine clinics, physician practices, imaging centers, and AIRLIFE-DENVER, which provides critical care air and ground transportation across a seven-state region. Consistently among the Denver Business Journals’ list of top ten corporate philanthropists in the Denver-metro area, HealthONE provided $66M in uncompensated care, contributed more than $650,000 and supports over 150 organizations through cash and in-kind donations last year alone.