Out-of-state founder briefs Elko commissioners on ‘Billion Pill Pledge’ opioid-prevention approach

John Greenwood, cofounder and chief operating officer of Goldfinch Health, told the Elko County Board of Commissioners during the public-comment period that his group’s “Billion Pill Pledge” program trains hospitals and providers to use multimodal, nonopioid approaches to surgical pain management and seeks to reduce leftover opioid prescribing after surgery.

Greenwood said national estimates show roughly 3,000,000,000 leftover opioid pills after surgery each year and that Nevada averages more than 40 opioid prescriptions per 100 people. He described protocol changes used in “enhanced recovery” programs — for example, preoperative nonopioid medication cocktails and other multimodal measures — and said peer-reviewed research published in an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons journal shows improvements in length of stay, readmissions and a reported 92% reduction in opioid refills in the program’s data. He suggested opioid-settlement funds could be used for prevention and training in the county.

Greenwood identified himself as a resident of Iowa City, Iowa, and said he would follow up with county staff on subsequent meetings and potential next steps. The presentation was a public comment and no county action was taken at the meeting.