Texas Orthopedic Hospital Host September 21 “Crush The Crisis” Drug Take-Back Day

Texas Orthopedic Hospital will serve as collection point for individuals to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired opioid painkillers on Saturday, September 21 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. as part of their commitment to curb the misuse and addiction to prescription pain relievers.

“Crush The Crisis” will provide individuals with the opportunity to turn in tablets, capsules and patches of Codeine, Hydrocodone, Demerol, Oxycodone, Darvon and other opioids at Texas Orthopedic Hospital located at 7401 Main Street.

“This is a ‘no-questions-asked’ collection designed to safely capture and dispose of addictive prescription pain medications before they fall into the wrong hands,” says Dr. Stephen Nesbit, chief medical officer of HCA Houston Healthcare. “If you are no longer on a medication, whether or not it has expired, it needs to be removed.”

The Crush the Crisis collection will be staffed by uniformed security. Needles, syringes, lancets and liquids will not be accepted.

According to a 2015 survey, the DEA stated more than 6.4 million Americans abused prescription drugs. Many of those cases, the agency study showed, involved the abuser getting pills from a family member’s or a friend’s medicine cabinet.

Prescription opioid use also is a significant risk factor or gateway to heroin addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 86 percent of young, urban injection drug users had used opioid pain relievers non-medically prior to using heroin. Their three main sources for obtaining opioids were family, friends or personal prescriptions.

For a complete list of HCA Houston Healthcare-affiliated hospitals participating in the September 21 Crush The Crisis drug take-back day, go to Crush The Crisis.