Goldfinch Health Wins ‘Excellence in Prevention’ Award from Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Opioid overdose prevention initiative, the Billion Pill Pledge program, earns honor as part of Recovery Month celebration
Lincoln, NE — September 10, 2026 — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recognized Goldfinch Health with a prestigious ‘Excellence’ award for its groundbreaking prevention work in combating the opioid crisis through the Billion Pill Pledge program. The honor celebrates the initiative’s success in preventing opioid misuse before it begins, demonstrating that modernizing surgical care can drastically cut pill exposure while accelerating patient recovery.
“Goldfinch Health is a leader in connecting individuals to resources and shaping the next generation of opioid prevention programming by reducing unnecessary opioid prescriptions. We are tremendously proud to honor them with the Division’s Excellence in Prevention Award!” said Dr. Thomas Janousek, Director of the Nebraska Division of Behavioral Health.
The award highlights a high-impact collaboration between Goldfinch Health, state and regional stakeholders, hospital leadership, healthcare professionals, and patients. Deployed across more than a dozen Nebraska hospitals and clinics, the initiative has reshaped how surgeons, hospitals, and patients approach pain management.
“Winning this award validates what we see in the hospitals every day: true prevention starts before the first prescription is written,” said John Greenwood, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Goldfinch Health. “The Billion Pill Pledge program shows that we can deliver better healthcare results and safer communities at the same time.”
The recognition stems from remarkable, measurable patient outcomes achieved as a result of the program, including:
- 80%+ Reduction in Opioid Refill Rates: Significantly fewer post-surgical patients required additional opioid prescriptions after discharge.
- 75% Reduction in Hospital Readmissions: Patients experienced smoother recoveries with fewer complications.
A nominator said:
“I am nominating Goldfinch Health and their Billion Pill Pledge program because it is the truest, purest program for opioid prevention and it is helping people in the State of Nebraska and across the country.”
The program works by equipping patients and healthcare professionals with:
- Pre-Rehabilitation: Patients receive a customized surgery tool kit, education, and nutrition plans before their surgical procedure.
- Multimodal Pain Relief: Surgery teams use a combination of non-opioid medications and non-drug therapies that target different pain pathways before pain begins, preventing the need for large opioid prescriptions after surgery.
- Dedicated Nurse Navigators: Expert nurse navigators guide patients through preparation and recovery, ensuring patients feel supported and stay on track in recovery.
To learn more about the award-winning Billion Pill Pledge program, visit BillionPillPledge.com.
About Goldfinch Health
Goldfinch Health is on a mission to erase 1 billion unnecessary opioid pills from American medicine cabinets and communities. The Billion Pill Pledge program provides education and implementation support to hospitals and healthcare professionals for Enhanced Recovery protocols, direct patient support through remote Nurse Navigators, appropriate disposal of leftover opioid pills, and data collection to enable continuous improvement and sustainable change.