Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – St. Bernards Medical Center announced its participation in Goldfinch Health’s “Billion Pill Pledge” on Friday, the first hospital in Arkansas to launch a targeted pain management and opioid reduction program that supports patients throughout surgery.
This program, made possible by Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership Settlement Funding from the opioid abatement partnership between the Arkansas Municipal League (AML) and the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC), helps patients facing surgery by implementing advanced, opioid-minimizing practices.
The mission of the Billion Pill Pledge is to reduce leftover opioids after surgery in the United States by 1 billion pills each year, preventing those pills from diverting to unauthorized use. This initiative addresses a critical issue: prescription opioids continue to fuel rates of new addiction, with a recent study finding that 75% of illegal opioid use started with prescription pills.
Historically, surgery has offered a gateway to initial use and leftover medication, with 6-10% of previously opioid-naive patients becoming persistent users following a procedure.
To combat this trend, St. Bernards uses multi-modal pain management strategies that drastically reduce opioid exposure. St. Bernards General Surgeon Jessica Hobby, M.D., said the hospital’s goal is to minimize the number of prescribed opioids while actively enhancing each patient’s recovery.
“Historically, pain management after surgery has relied heavily on prescription opioids,” Dr. Hobby said. “Effective pain management, however, goes far beyond that. My ultimate priority as a surgeon is the safe and effective healing of my patients. By rethinking our approach to pain management and significantly reducing unnecessary opioid prescriptions, we aren’t just helping to fight a national epidemic. We actively improve the surgical recovery process.”
On a practical level, the partnership with Goldfinch Health provides patients with direct access to nurse navigators who specialize in surgical optimization and recovery. Prior to surgery, participants receive a curated ‘Prepared for Surgery’ care package containing essential tools for a seamless experience.
Beyond physical preparation, Goldfinch Nurses provide dedicated support both before and after procedures, championing the use of evidence-based, opioid-minimizing protocols to ensure a safer, faster return to daily life.
“We are excited to be the first hospital in Arkansas to launch this critical first dose prevention program,” said St. Bernards Medical Center Administrator Michael Givens. “Opioid challenges are not just patient challenges. They are community challenges, and the Billion Pill Pledge program helps us serve our community even better.”