MountainStar to Host "Crush the Crisis" Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Salt Lake City, UT — Utah health network MountainStar Healthcare announced today that it will once again partner with local law enforcement agencies to host “Crush the Crisis” drop-off locations as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Thirteen MountainStar locations will host Crush the Crisis events on October 26, 2024, with the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications.

 Last year – for the first time since 2018 – there was a decrease in national drug overdose deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, overdose deaths are on the rise in Utah, and drug misuse remains a public health crisis across the nation.

 “The drug overdose epidemic continues to affect communities across the nation and here in Utah,” said Janet Zarndt, vice president of pharmacy services for the health system that serves over a million annual patient interactions in the Beehive State. “As part of our commitment to serving Utahns, we are proud to provide a safe way for people to get unused and expired medications out of their homes.”

 Thanks to the cooperation of local law enforcement agencies, Utahns will have 13 Utah’s convenient options for prescription drug take back day:

• Seven of the eight MountainStar hospitals will host drop-off locations: Cache Valley Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, Lone Peak Hospital, Mountain View Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, St. Mark’s Hospital and Timpanogos Regional Hospital.
• Three of the network’s six freestanding emergency centers will also participate: Herriman Emergency Center, Pleasant View Emergency Center and Syracuse Emergency Center.
• Additionally, community members can drop off expired and unused medications at three of the eight CareNow urgent care clinics: American Fork, Murray and South Jordan.

 Utahns can find the Crush the Crisis drop-off point closest to them by using the interactive map at hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or by calling the toll-free number at (833) 582-1970.

 “We’re so grateful to the law enforcement agencies and the teams at these 13 locations who protect the community from the dangers of drug misuse by participating in Crush the Crisis,” Zarndt added.

 Our parent organization, HCA Healthcare, 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 43 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): a multi-modal approach to pain management using pre, intra and post-operative interventions to optimize outcomes. HCA Healthcare’s ESR programs have demonstrated significant improvements in surgical recovery and patient satisfaction, including decreases in opioid usage.

• Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS): aims to stem increasing rates of opioid-related 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.