WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 130
people die every day from opioid overdoses. For those individuals
who suffer an overdose and are fortunate enough to survive, the
event can serve as a turning point on the road to recovery.
To help people when they are potentially the most open to
treatment, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is enhancing the "Guardian Angel"
program, which is designed to help individuals who suffer an
opioid-related overdose. In North
Carolina, the Guardian Angel program will now be supported
by CVS Health's collaboration with Unite Us, a leading social
care coordination platform. Through this combination, clinical case
managers can use the Unite Us network of social services to connect
individuals with non-clinical support that can aid their recovery,
such as community resources to help with housing, food insecurity
and financial assistance.
"The Guardian Angel program already has a high engagement rate
of about 50 percent because it connects with people in a
compassionate way during the time when they need it most," said Dr.
Daniel Knecht, Vice President,
Health Strategy and Innovation, CVS Health. "We recognize that
whether a person is successfully able to fight addiction is not
solely determined by the medical treatment that they receive.
Through the Unite Us network of social care providers, people can
more easily access support within their community and have a better
chance of recovery."
Since the Guardian Angel program was launched by Aetna, a CVS
Health company, in 2018, clinical case managers have connected with
nearly 1,000 Aetna members who have suffered an overdose as well as
their families, providing education and resources around the
effectiveness of evidence-based addiction treatment. Members who
have been contacted live in every part of the country and range in
age from 16 to 79 years old (with an average age of 45).
The clinical case managers that participate in the Guardian
Angel program will also be a part of the NCCARE360 network in
North Carolina. NCCARE360 is the
first statewide network that unites health care and human services
organizations with a shared technology, Unite Us, that enables a
coordinated, community-oriented, person-centered approach for
delivering care. NCCARE360 is planned to be available statewide in
North Carolina by the end of
2020.
Helping Improve Community Health in New Orleans and Tampa Bay
In addition to integrating
the Guardian Angel and Unite Us programs in North Carolina, CVS Health and Unite Us also
launched programs in New Orleans
and Tampa Bay, Florida to help
Aetna's Medicaid and Dual Eligible (people eligible for both
Medicaid and Medicare) members more easily access social services
within their community. Working with Unite Us, Aetna's
Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (DSNP) members in these
communities can receive help from a wide range of services through
local organizations - transportation, food assistance and meal
delivery, adult day care, employment services and housing support,
among others.
"Improving health starts at the community level, and most of
that work needs to take place outside of a doctor's office," said
Dr. Garth Graham, Vice President,
Community Health & Impact, CVS Health. "Our collaboration with
Unite Us allows us to support some of the most vulnerable members
of the community, providing them with the local resources that they
need to improve their everyday lives."
CVS Health's continued work with Unite Us is a key
component of Destination: Health, a series of
business programs focused on helping people improve their health
outside of a clinical setting.
"We're excited and inspired by the progress and impact of the
Destination Health initiative as it expands through the country,"
says Taylor Justice, Co-Founder and
President of Unite Us. "It is encouraging to see the local
community support as our teams continue to launch networks in
Tampa and New Orleans to support Aetna's DSNP members,
as well as combining the Guardian Angel and Unite Us programs in
North Carolina."
About CVS Health
CVS Health employees are united
around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health
company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer
needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the
community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the
home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings – from
HealthHUB® locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to
innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions – are
designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable
experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at
http://www.cvshealth.com.
Contact: Ethan Slavin
860-273-6095
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-health-combines-guardian-angel-and-unite-us-programs-to-support-opioid-overdose-victims-in-north-carolina-301023330.html
SOURCE CVS Health