Nonprofit Sees Exponential Growth in Incidents of Drug Diversion Reported in Healthcare Facilities in All 50 States
HealthCareDiversion.org increases number of drug diversion incidents reported by more than 23 percent, aims to increase transparency into the nation's drug diversion crisis
ATLANTA, Aug. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthcare Diversion Network, a nonprofit association dedicated to preventing drug diversion, today announced that it has tracked instances of drug diversion in all 50 states in America. The number of reported incidents increased by more than 23 percent in the past three months. Additionally, since launching, the nonprofit is now actively working with 65 percent more hospitals to track and report drug diversion.
"Since launching, HealthCareDiversion.org has substantially increased the number of drug diversion incidents reported and is tracking incidents in all 50 states. This is a testimony that we're all eager to solve one of our nation's quietest crises," said Tom Knight, Chairman of the Healthcare Diversion Network. "Many healthcare providers and lawmakers don't understand just how widespread the problem is, so we are working to educate them and build awareness by tracking these incidents."
Drug diversion is a growing issue that has stemmed from the opioid crisis. It is estimated that at least 10 percent of healthcare workers will steal drugs from their workplace at some point in their career. The problem impacts patient safety and can cause infectious outbreaks like the recent Hepatitis C outbreak reported by the CDC earlier this year.
"Tracking incidents of diversion in all 50 states is just the first step in our journey towards addressing the negative stigma and lack of compliance around reporting drug diversion. The goal is to create a safer environment for patients across the country. My hope is that in the new future cases like mine will be a thing of the past," said Lauren Lollini, a patient who contracted hepatitis C as a result of drug diversion and a member of the Healthcare Diversion Network's advisory board.
The Healthcare Diversion Network is also coordinating efforts with several industry organizations, associations and federal entities including the International Health Facility Diversion Association. The Healthcare Diversion Network is seeking volunteers to help bring it closer to reaching its goal of identifying all known instances of drug diversion, empowering individuals to report diversion and increasing awareness of the greater issue.
To learn more about HealthCareDiversion.org, please visit http://www.healthcarediversion.org.
About the Healthcare Diversion Network
HealthCareDiversion.org is a national network to reduce drug diversion. The network provides a platform for individuals to report instances of drug diversion, offering information to raise awareness of past drug diversion, and educate healthcare organizations and other stakeholders on best practices to prevent future diversion. HealthCareDiversion.org is operated by the Healthcare Diversion Network, a nonprofit association created in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.healthcarediversion.org.
SOURCE HealthCareDiversion.org
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