CVS Health completes nationwide rollout of time delay safes
CVS Health has completed the installation of time delay safes in more than 9,000 CVS Pharmacy locations, including those in Target stores. The latest states and the corresponding number of pharmacy locations equipped with time delay safe technology are Florida (838), Hawaii (61), New Jersey (352) and New York (569), marking an important achievement in the company’s ongoing efforts to support law enforcement and build safer communities.
CVS Health has reached two additional milestones related to its efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse. CVS Pharmacy’s in-store safe medication disposal bins, as well as those donated by the company to local law enforcement agencies, have collected more than five million pounds of expired or unused prescription and over-the-counter medication. Also, the company’s medication safety education programs, Pharmacists Teach and Dose of Knowledge, in partnership with Discovery Education, have reached nearly two million students and parents since 2015.
“We’re committed to helping prevent the abuse and diversion of prescription medications,” said Prem Shah, executive vice president of CVS Health and co-president and chief pharmacy officer at CVS Pharmacy. “From innovative education programs to help children understand the importance of medication safety to investing in time delay safe technology in our retail pharmacies, we’re focused on building safer communities.”
The safes help prevent pharmacy robberies and the potential for associated diversion of controlled substance medications—including opioid medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone—by electronically delaying the time it takes for pharmacy employees to open the safe. In addition, the safes help improve the safety and well-being of CVS Pharmacy customers and employees.
The company's rollout of time delay safe technology supports partnerships with local and state law enforcement and the retail community to fight against escalating organized retail crime.
[Read more: CVS Health rolls out time-delay safes to an additional 13 states]
CVS Health's milestone also included the announcement today of its installation of time delay safe technology in all 838 CVS Pharmacy locations throughout Florida, including those in Target stores.
"Supporting law enforcement efforts in their battle against organized retail crime remains a key focus for our company," said CVS region director Ricardo Lopez today during a news conference at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami-Dade County. "Criminal activities that organized retail crime rings fund are a clear danger to our communities, so it is important that retailers, law enforcement and political leaders work together to solve this problem."
"I am very proud of our private sector partner for thinking and implementing innovative ways to fight organized retail crime. Local, state and federal law enforcement partners continuously collaborate with our retail industry to minimize the economic impact to all of our residents. We strive to encourage all of the members in the retail industry to join the fight against organized retail crime," said director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
"We are proud to support CVS Health in its endeavor to make our retail pharmacies a safe place to shop and work. Time delay safes will not only work to combat the opioid epidemic and prevent criminal activity, but it will also save lives. Thank you for helping to safeguard your CVS Pharmacy stores to strengthen safety at retail pharmacies in Florida," said Scott Shalley, CEO of the Florida Retail Federation.
[Read more: CVS Health completes rollout of time-delay safes in Georgia pharmacies]
CVS Health first implemented time delay safe technology in 2015 in CVS Pharmacy locations across Indianapolis, a city experiencing a high volume of pharmacy robberies at the time. The company saw a 70% decline in pharmacy robberies in that area. Since then, there has been a 50% decline in robberies at CVS Pharmacy locations with the safes, CVS Health said.
The CVS Health time delay safe program is among many company initiatives to address and prevent prescription medication misuse and diversion. The company supports over 3,700 safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. As of April 2023, these medication disposal units, along with those the company has donated to local law enforcement agencies, have collected more than five million pounds of unwanted or expired medications that might otherwise have been diverted, misused or ended up in the water supply. The 216 safe medication disposal units located in Florida have collected more than 237,000 pounds of unwanted and expired medication.
CVS Health also announced that nearly two million students and parents have learned about the dangers of misusing medications through the company's free prescription drug abuse prevention education programs, Pharmacists Teach and Dose of Knowledge, including more than 85,000 Floridians.
Through Pharmacists Teach, CVS pharmacists work with schools in their communities to help educate children from kindergarten to grade 12 about the dangers of prescription medication misuse and abuse. To further amplify the program's impact, CVS Health partnered with Discovery Education to expand resources and access through Dose of Knowledge. This program provides no-cost standards-aligned resources to empower educators and pharmacists to address substance misuse and educate students to make good decisions about their health. The program has resources for parents and students as well.