WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health
(NYSE: CVS) today announced two initiatives in New Hampshire to combat opioid abuse.
The company has installed safe medication disposal units inside two
CVS Pharmacy locations in New
Hampshire to help facilitate proper and timely disposal of
opioids and other medications that could be diverted or misused if
left in people's homes. In addition, the company committed more
than $60,000 in funding to three
New Hampshire non-profit
organizations also working to address and prevent opioid
abuse.
"Pharmacists are one of the most accessible health care
professionals in the community, where we have witnessed the impacts
of the epidemic of opioid addiction and misuse," said Thomas
G. Davis, R.Ph., Vice President of Professional Services for
CVS Health. "Expanding our safe medication disposal efforts and
funding community organizations in New
Hampshire is an extension of our commitment to address and
prevent opioid abuse in the communities we serve and fulfill our
purpose of helping people on their path to better health."
The new medication disposal units have been installed inside CVS
Pharmacy locations at 242 Main Street in Nashua and 268 West Street in Keene.
These locations were chosen because they are 24 hour
pharmacies. These disposal units will supplement the 15
additional units CVS Health has donated to police departments
across the state. Nationwide, CVS Health has donated more
than 850 units to police departments, collecting more than 140
metric tons, or 300,000 pounds of unwanted medication.
Underscoring its commitment to address and prevent opioid abuse,
CVS Health is also contributing more than $60,000 to programs that address and prevent
opioid abuse in coordination with SOS Recovery Community
Organization, Hope on Haven Hill and Concord Hospital:
SOS Recovery Community Organization, Somersworth, New Hampshire – a
program of Goodwin Community Health, SOS Recovery has received
$20,000 from CVS Health to build
capacity for current peer recovery coaches as well as recruit,
train, and certify new recovery coaches to better serve individuals
seeking services in Strafford
County.
Hope on Haven Hill, Rochester, New
Hampshire – a substance use treatment
organization serving homeless, pregnant and newly parenting mothers
who are in recovery, Hope on Haven Hill has received a
$10,000 grant from CVS Health to
train staff and volunteers to assist New
Hampshire women obtain recovery and find new coping skills
while becoming a new parent.
Concord Hospital Trust, Concord,
New Hampshire – has received a $30,000 grant
from CVS Health to further implement consistent SBIRT (Screening,
Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) screenings in their
Concord Hospital Medical Group primary care practices. The grant
will also provide practice staff with professional development
opportunities and training around the stigma associated with
addiction and mental illness.
The expansion of safe medication disposal to a total of 750 CVS
Pharmacy locations across the U.S. was included among the
enhancements to the company's strategy to address and prevent
opioid abuse announced in September
2017. As part of that effort, the company also said it
would enhance opioid utilization management aligned with CDC
Guideline for CVS Caremark clients and members, complementing
measures already in place.
This work builds on ongoing programs the company operates
including the Pharmacists Teach program, which brings CVS
Pharmacists to local schools to talk to teens and parents about the
dangers of abusing prescription drugs, with more than 1,500 teens
and parents in New Hampshire
having already participated in the program. CVS Health has
also worked to expand access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug
naloxone in 46 states, including New
Hampshire.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation
company helping people on their path to better health. Through its
more than 9,800 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical
clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with more than 94
million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business
serving more than one million patients per year, expanding
specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare
Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people,
businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and
effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to
quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall
health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is
shaping the future of health at www.cvshealth.com.
Media Contact:
Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com
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SOURCE CVS Health