St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas, announced its participation in Goldfinch Health’s “Billion Pill Pledge,” becoming the first hospital in Arkansas to launch a targeted pain management and opioid-reduction program supporting patients throughout surgery. The program is made possible by Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership Settlement Funding from a partnership between the Arkansas Municipal League and the Association of Arkansas Counties. The Billion Pill Pledge aims to reduce leftover opioids after surgery in the United States by 1 billion pills each year, preventing diversion to unauthorized use.
Opioid Use and Surgical Recovery
Surgery historically has served as a gateway to initial opioid use and leftover medication consumption. According to the program materials, 6 to 10% of previously opioid-naive patients become persistent users following a procedure. A recent study cited found that 75% of illegal opioid use started with prescription pills. St. Bernards General Surgeon Jessica Hobby emphasized that “effective pain management goes far beyond” opioids. She stated that “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.” The hospital uses multi-modal pain management strategies that drastically reduce opioid exposure while enhancing patient recovery.
Patient Support and Navigation
Through its partnership with Goldfinch Health, patients receive direct access to nurse navigators specializing in surgical optimization and recovery. Before surgery, participants receive a curated “Prepared for Surgery” care package containing essential recovery tools. Goldfinch Nurses provide dedicated support before and after procedures, championing evidence-based, opioid-minimizing protocols to ensure safer, faster return to daily life. St. Bernards Medical Center Administrator Michael Givens stated that the Billion Pill Pledge program helps the hospital serve its community better, noting that “opioid challenges are not just patient challenges. They are community challenges.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kait8.com/2026/03/20/st-bernards-launches-program-improve-pain-management-reduce-opioid-use-after-surgeries/