CVS Health expands opioid abuse-prevention efforts in 2 states
In an ongoing effort to address and prevent opioid abuse and misuse, CVS Health has installed 19 safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations across Maryland. In addition, the CVS Health Foundation has provided $85,000 to Total Health Care in Baltimore, a community health center dedicated to supporting opioid addiction recovery.
"Launching our in-store safe medication disposal program at CVS Pharmacy locations in Maryland will help remove unused prescription medications from medicine cabinets where they could be otherwise diverted or abused," said CVS Health vice president of professional services Tom Davis, R.Ph. "We are committed to addressing and preventing opioid abuse through our support of the work that organizations like Total Health Care do to promote addiction recovery, which directly aligns with our purpose of helping people on their path to better health."
The $85,000 grant from the CVS Health Foundation will allow Baltimore's Total Health Care to develop and implement a trauma-informed care model which will increase participation in its substance abuse treatment program. Efforts include an increased focused on care coordination by the Substance Abuse Clinical Supervisor and incorporating alerts into the electronic health record to ensure patients are completing behavioral health visits and medication-assisted treatment.
CVS Health has also donated disposal kiosks to police departments in Hampstead, Ellicott City and Rising Sun. CVS Health has donated more than 900 units to police departments nationwide, collecting more than 350,000 pounds of unwanted medication.
In a separate, but related development, CVS Health announced that the CVS Health Foundation will award $330,000 in grants to community health centers in California focused on increasing access to opioid addiction treatment and recovery services. Concurrently, the company is expanding its safe medication disposal initiative in California, installing 62 safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations across the state to help facilitate proper and timely disposal of opioids and other medications that could otherwise be diverted or misused.
"Launching our in-store safe medication disposal program at CVS Pharmacy locations in Maryland will help remove unused prescription medications from medicine cabinets where they could be otherwise diverted or abused," said CVS Health vice president of professional services Tom Davis, R.Ph. "We are committed to addressing and preventing opioid abuse through our support of the work that organizations like Total Health Care do to promote addiction recovery, which directly aligns with our purpose of helping people on their path to better health."
The $85,000 grant from the CVS Health Foundation will allow Baltimore's Total Health Care to develop and implement a trauma-informed care model which will increase participation in its substance abuse treatment program. Efforts include an increased focused on care coordination by the Substance Abuse Clinical Supervisor and incorporating alerts into the electronic health record to ensure patients are completing behavioral health visits and medication-assisted treatment.
CVS Health has also donated disposal kiosks to police departments in Hampstead, Ellicott City and Rising Sun. CVS Health has donated more than 900 units to police departments nationwide, collecting more than 350,000 pounds of unwanted medication.
In a separate, but related development, CVS Health announced that the CVS Health Foundation will award $330,000 in grants to community health centers in California focused on increasing access to opioid addiction treatment and recovery services. Concurrently, the company is expanding its safe medication disposal initiative in California, installing 62 safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations across the state to help facilitate proper and timely disposal of opioids and other medications that could otherwise be diverted or misused.