CVS Health rolls out time-delay safes to an additional 13 states
CVS Health has added time-delay safe technology in 800 CVS Pharmacy locations in 13 states. This latest installation brings the total number of states with the technology to 45 states across the U.S.
The safes are intended to 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.
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The 800 additional CVS Pharmacy locations to receive the time-delay safes, including those in Target stores, are in Delaware (22), Iowa (39), Kansas (53), Maine (25), Missouri (207), Nebraska (30), New Hampshire (47), North Dakota (6), Rhode Island (66), South Dakota (3), South Carolina (210), Vermont (9) and Wisconsin (83).
The company’s rollout of the technology is in support of each of the states’ partnerships with local and state law enforcement and the retail community to fight back against escalating organized retail crime.
“Supporting law enforcement efforts in their battle against organized retail crime remains a key focus for our company,” said Thomas M. Moriarty, chief policy officer and general counsel, CVS Health. “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. Time delay safes can help reduce the theft and diversion of prescription medications and bring added security to our stores which creates a safer environment for our customers, colleagues and communities.”
[Read more: CVS Health completes rollout of time-delay safes in 3 southern states]
After implementing time-delay safe technology in 2015 in CVS Pharmacy locations across Indianapolis, the company say a 70% decline in pharmacy robberies among the stores where the safes were installed. Since then, the company has introduced time-delay safes across 32 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in a 50% decline in robberies at CVS Pharmacy locations in those communities, according to the company.