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CVS Health praises Hawaii for prescription drug take-back programs

7/3/2019
CVS Pharmacy applauded Governor David Ige and the state legislature for enacting new legislation (HB-1272) that will enable the installation of safe medication disposal units this month in many Longs Drugs locations across Hawaii. CVS Health and CVS Pharmacy operate Longs Drugs in Hawaii.

Signage that will accompany the safe medication disposal bins being installed by CVS Health in 17 select Longs Drugs locations across Hawaii.

"CVS Health applauds this legislation, as it marks an important step in reducing opportunities for medication misuse by ensuring that patients have a local resource to dispose of unused medications promptly, safely, and securely," CVS Health chief operating officer Jon Roberts said. "Planning for the implementation of these disposal resources in many of our Longs stores is already underway."

With the new law in place, CVS Pharmacy will install 17 in-store disposal units in select Longs locations in July across several state counties, including Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui.

To help make year-round disposal options more accessible, CVS Pharmacy has installed safe medication disposal units in more than 1,100 CVS Pharmacy locations across the country and has donated over 960 additional units to community locations such as police departments. Together, these units have collected more than 376 metric tons, or 828,000 pounds, of unwanted medication.

CVS Pharmacy plans to roll out additional safe medication disposal units across the country by the end of 2019, as part of a commitment announced at the end of last year to help provide more disposal options in our communities. The company also is partnering with Google Maps to make it easier for consumers to find year-round medication disposal options.

"When patients leave unused medications, especially opioids, in a medicine cabinet, there is a risk that those medications might be misused or diverted, which is why we have worked to help increase access to and awareness of safe medication disposal options in the communities we serve," said Roberts. "Providing more options for the proper disposal of unused medications is just one of the ways that CVS Health is working to help combat opioid misuse, in Hawaii and across the country."
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