Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) and its sister hospital Frisbie Memorial Hospital announced their annual “Crush the Crisis” national opioid take-back day to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications.

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. The event coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and invites the community to safely dispose of unused or expired medication.

In 2021, there were more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a near 15 percent increase in drug-related deaths from 2020.

“Portsmouth Regional and Frisbie Memorial hospitals have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of drug misuse and abuse,” said Trevor Eide, MD, NH Regional Medical Director for Emergency Medicine for HCA Healthcare. “As a leading healthcare provider on the Seacoast, we believe it is vital to increase awareness of this important issue and offer our community a safe way to dispose of medications to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.”

The Portsmouth event will be held at Portsmouth Regional Hospital with Portsmouth Police on hand, and Frisbie Memorial Hospital’s event will be held at the Rochester Police Department. Law enforcement officers will be collecting tablets, capsules, and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (Opana). Ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medication in leak-proof containers, vape cartridges without batteries and pet medication will also be accepted. Any medications will be accepted; however, needles, syringes, lancets, or liquids will not be accepted.

Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Frisbie Memorial Hospital are participating as part of HCA Healthcare’s fourth annual national “Crush the Crisis” opioid take-back day. In October 2021, 96 HCA Healthcare facilities in 17 states collected 15,566 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications at “Crush the Crisis” events across the nation.

For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll free number at (833) 582-1970.