MountainStar to host "Crush the Crisis" prescription take back day on October 28

Salt Lake City, Utah — Utah health network MountainStar Healthcare announced today that it will host a record 13 drop-off locations as part of the “Crush the Crisis” prescription take back day on Saturday, October 28. The event coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications.

“It’s so crucial that we bring awareness to dangers of drug misuse and abuse as the drug overdose pandemic continues to grow across the nation and here in Utah,” said Janet Zarndt, vice president of pharmacy services for the Utah health system that serves over a million annual patient interactions. “As part of our commitment to serving Utahns, we are proud to hold our biggest Crush the Crisis day yet.”

Seven MountainStar hospitals will host convenient drop-off locations. Cache Valley Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, Lone Peak Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, St. Mark’s Hospital and Timpanogos Regional Hospital will all host drive-through Crush the Crisis events, while Mountain View Hospital will host a drop-off location in partnership with nearby Payson Market.

Additionally, community members can drop off expired and unused medications at Westlake Emergency Center as well as select CareNow urgent care clinics in West Point, Cottonwood Heights, South Jordan, American Fork and Orem.

Utahns can find the Crush the Crisis drop-off point closest to them by using the interactive map.

“We’re thankful to various law enforcement agencies and hospital colleagues who are enabling to make it easier than ever to safely dispose of unused and expired medications as part of Crush the Crisis,” Zarndt added.

In 2022, there were more than 109,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase from 2021. Five in six drug poisoning deaths in Utah are unintentional according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, illustrating the importance of removing unused and expired medications from the home.

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 has given $750,000 to the Collaborative to support the development of safer pain management protocols and the reversal of the opioid crisis.

As a learning health system, HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 37 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 an up to 44% decrease in opioid usage for some surgeries.
• Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS): aims to stem increasing rates of prescription pain reliever-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.

For more information, visit Crush the Crisis or call the toll-free number (833) 582-1970.