Last November, Medical City Healthcare launched Crush the Crisis initiative in an effort to reduce opioid use in north Texas. In the year since the launch of Crush the Crisis, Medical City Healthcare’s North Texas hospitals have seen a 21% decrease in opioid prescriptions in their emergency rooms.
Opioid use is classified as a national health crisis under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“This is a crisis that we wish to combat,” Medical City Frisco CEO Carlton Ulmer said in a press release. “We are committed to the communities we serve, and providing this drug take back box is just one of the many ways we honor our commitment to improve the quality of life.”
As part of the initiative to reduce prescriptions and opioid usage, Medical City Healthcare is using a prescription monitoring system available through the Texas Department of State Health Service. By using this database, physicians are able to identify patients who may be at risk for potential overdose. Medical City Healthcare has also introduced pain management strategies, which can serve as alternatives to pain killers and other substances.
Following surgery or an operation, patients can use virtual reality headsets, which put patients in a 360-degree virtual environment of their choice. The VR headsets are said to help with pain management by providing a distraction.
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Additionally, drug take-back boxes have been installed in 12 Medical City hospitals, including Medical City Frisco. This makes for a safer, more environmentally conscious alternative approach to getting rid of drugs, as opposed to flushing them down toilets.
For more information on Medical City’s initiative to reduce opioid usage across north Texas, visit medicalcityhealthcare.com
