The opioid epidemic is a growing concern, and it’s hard to think there could be an end in sight. Many people have faced opioid addiction, and for many it has led to death. With the widespread crisis, it’s easy to focus on those who have developed their addiction through being prescribed medications [as a patient] for pain, depression, and other areas of concern, but it’s often easy to forget that addiction is flooding healthcare facility workers as well. Drug diversion is often driven by healthcare employees, either being a supplier of the medications to others or stealing unused, unwanted, or expired medications for their own use. The addiction is real, and it is not choosing favorites.

The last people we think that will be involved in drug diversion or be victims of addiction are healthcare professionals, the people who we rely on to care for our wellbeing, but it’s important to not be naïve to the growing concern in hospital, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, etc. Sometimes drug diversion occurs from healthcare workers to outside sources, healthcare workers to patients, or healthcare workers supplying their own or their coworkers’ pockets with pharmaceuticals. The signs are often there, but many choose to ignore it, due to this idea that this would never happen at the hospital they receive treatment at. Healthcare workers often have unlimited access to large supplies of pharmaceuticals that are awaiting disposal. This amount of time [between inventory and transportation to incineration] can vary from days, to weeks, and sometimes months. There are too many loopholes in many healthcare facilities, providing ample opportunity for drug diversion issues.

The most daunting part of drug diversion is the amount of people who are never caught being involved in it. Hospitals all across the United States have been investigated and charged, but there are hundreds who are experiencing the effects of drug diversion yet doing nothing about it. Healthcare professionals that are involved are very manipulative and discreet in the way they obtain the pharmaceuticals they need, and often when coworkers suspect illegal activity, nothing is said about it. It’s easy to ignore the little things, but it’s time that people begin to notice the signs and speak up in such situations.

We created NarcX with the intent to stop the opioid crisis that is spreading across the world. At Rx Disposal, we know the powerful effect that opioids are having in healthcare facilities and in people’s very homes. We saw the amount of time and money that medication disposal was taking, and we knew there had to be another way. With NarcX, your hospital can have onsite liquid medication disposal. Our solution allows the medications to become immediately non-retrievable once they hit NarcX, and pills and tablets are full neutralized in under two hours. With NarcX being DEA compliant, there is no need for transfer to incineration sites, and the entire process can be completed right there, on site. To further discourage tampering, the solution contains ingredients that, if ingested, can cause the retriever to become extremely ill, and it even contains a strong dye that will show on the skin immediately and stay for multiple days. We saw a problem and decided we needed to do something.

Be part of the solution and do your part.

Sources:

https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/The-Dirty-Secret-of-Drug-Diversion.aspx

https://www.acep.org/content.aspx?id=94932#sm.000q5nc8s19y2d79sjo23p5a8w904

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/drug_hc.htm