Crushing the Crisis: HCA Florida Healthcare supports DEA Take Back Day

Orlando, FL — HCA Florida Healthcare locations in Central Florida hosted Crush the Crisis prescription drug collections this past Saturday to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications, and the community responded! Together, UCF Lake Nona Hospital and Oviedo Medical Center, both part of HCA Florida Healthcare, and HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital collected 197 pounds of unused medications for proper disposal.

UCF Lake Nona Hospital, HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital and Oviedo Medical Center joined sister facilities across the country as part of HCA Healthcare’s 7th annual national Crush the Crisis prescription take back day. The event, which coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications that may be left over from previous medical procedures or other health treatments. Since 2019, HCA Healthcare has helped safely dispose of more than 88,000 pounds of unused or expired medication. The HCA Healthcare team’s journey continued this year toward a goal of 100,000 pounds of collected medication.

Law enforcement officers collected tablets, capsules, patches, ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medication, vape cartridges and pet medications. If you missed this event, you can still drop off unused medications at various locations. Visit the DEA’s website for a location near you.