LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (March 26, 2026) — The Billion Pill Pledge program, powered by Goldfinch Health, will deploy evidence-based opioid minimizing resources to hospitals and providers serving Craighead, Baxter, Phillips and Pope Counties.
Arkansas currently faces a critical public health challenge as it ranks as the highest opioid-prescribing state in the nation. Prescription opioids continue to fuel the rates of new addiction with one recent study finding 75 percent of illegal opioid use was started with prescription pills. Surgery has historically served as a leading gateway to initial opioid use and leftover pills with 6 to 10 percent of patients who weren’t taking an opioid become persistent users following a surgical procedure.
Through this funding, participating hospitals and providers in the region will implement industry-leading protocols designed to better manage surgery-related pain and improve surgery outcomes while minimizing the introduction of large quantities of unnecessary opioids into the community.
“The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership, in partnership with Goldfinch Health’s, Billion Pill Pledge program, intends to create a new, futuristic path in Arkansas cities and counties by an innovative way encouraging prevention, to prevent opioid addiction while treating pain better,” said Kirk Lane, director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. “The Billion Pill Pledge is not about restricting prescriptions. It is a pilot program aimed at providing more effective, safer options. Our hope is that the Billion Pill Pledge program will be able to demonstrate a change in opioid at-risk communities who are being harmed by the opioid epidemic. We believe this program will bring about change by focusing on evidence-based, alternative pain management, to change the culture of what it has been for too long that was the root cause of the epidemic.”
Over the next two years, Goldfinch Health will partner with hospitals in Craighead, Baxter, Phillips, and Pope Counties. The initiative provides a multi-pronged approach to surgical recovery including:
- Helping hospitals to adopt enhanced surgical pathways that minimize opioid use while improving recovery.
- Educating and assisting healthcare professionals in the implementation of updated pain management and opioid prescribing protocols
- Providing options for safe disposal of leftover opioids
In addition, through the program patients will have access to remote Nurse Navigators, who provide education, advocacy and support in the days before and after procedures. Patients will also receive a “Prepared for Surgery” tool kit featuring items key to optimizing the surgical experience and reducing opioid risks for patients, families and communities.
This project comes with support from Arkansas mayors Hillrey Adams of Mountain Home, Harold Copenhaver of Jonesboro, Don Etherly of Helena and Fred Teague of Russellville; and judges Kevin Litty of Baxter County, Marvin Day of Craighead County, Clark Hall of Phillips County and Ben Cross of Pope County.
Participating hospitals will be announced in the coming weeks.
For support in navigating an opioid-minimizing surgery, please contact Goldfinch Health utilizing the following website: GoldfinchHealth.com/Contact-Us.
About Goldfinch Health
Goldfinch Health optimizes the surgery and recovery experience for patients, employers, and communities while reducing the risk of opioid addiction. Through its Billion Pill Pledge, the company is on a mission to eliminate one billion unnecessary leftover opioid pills following surgical procedures. By providing access to Enhanced Surgical Pathways and expert nurse guidance, Goldfinch delivers safer patient experiences, minimized opioid exposure, and significant healthcare cost savings. To learn more, visit GoldfinchHealth.com.
About the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership
The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), an initiative of the Arkansas Municipal League and the Association of Arkansas Counties, represents an unprecedented united front between the representatives of local government to abate the loss of life caused by the opioid epidemic in Arkansas communities. The Partnership oversees the strategic disbursement of opioid settlement dollars at the city and county levels and works to reduce overdose deaths through prevention, treatment, enforcement and recovery. ARORP’s message is simple: be bold, stand together and commit to abating opioid misuse and addiction in Arkansas. To learn more and submit a request for funding, visit ARORP.org.
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