Walgreens readies support for areas in path of Hurricane Florence
As Hurricane Florence prepares to make landfall, Walgreens has been taking steps to help customers, associates and communities that are expected to be affected by the storm, both in the lead-up and aftermath, the company announced Wednesday.
“Walgreens is fully mobilizing to support the health and wellness needs of our customers and communities facing this dangerous storm,” Walgreens president of operations Richard Ashworth said. “We urge our patients and customers to follow evacuation orders and get to a safe location first and then refill medications at the nearest pharmacy. Walgreens has approximately 9,800 locations nationwide that are able to access patient’s records,” said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of operations. “We have a dedicated team in our Emergency Operations Center working to ensure our team members in the impacted areas remain safe and are preparing to rapidly restore operations in order to best serve our patients and communities.”
Walgreens’ efforts include prescription drug preparedness efforts, as the state of emergency declared in North and South Carolina means pharmacists can refill up to a 30-day supply without requiring refill authorization for any non-controlled substance. The company also recommended patients take a waterproof bag with current medications, even if the bottle is empty, as the label info can help pharmacy staff with refill requests.
Walgreens also said it was proactively staging temporary mobile pharmacies near the region that it can deploy to stores that might be damaged or unable to open in a timely manner if necessary.
Additionally, the company said it will evaluate a philanthropic response in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, with plans to activate its store base to donate to American Red Cross hurricane relief work. It also said it would prepare to donated necessary items to emergency shelters — in the aftermath of Hurrican Harvey, Walgreens said its customers donated more than $10 million to Red Cross relief efforts.
“Walgreens is fully mobilizing to support the health and wellness needs of our customers and communities facing this dangerous storm,” Walgreens president of operations Richard Ashworth said. “We urge our patients and customers to follow evacuation orders and get to a safe location first and then refill medications at the nearest pharmacy. Walgreens has approximately 9,800 locations nationwide that are able to access patient’s records,” said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of operations. “We have a dedicated team in our Emergency Operations Center working to ensure our team members in the impacted areas remain safe and are preparing to rapidly restore operations in order to best serve our patients and communities.”
Walgreens’ efforts include prescription drug preparedness efforts, as the state of emergency declared in North and South Carolina means pharmacists can refill up to a 30-day supply without requiring refill authorization for any non-controlled substance. The company also recommended patients take a waterproof bag with current medications, even if the bottle is empty, as the label info can help pharmacy staff with refill requests.
Walgreens also said it was proactively staging temporary mobile pharmacies near the region that it can deploy to stores that might be damaged or unable to open in a timely manner if necessary.
Additionally, the company said it will evaluate a philanthropic response in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, with plans to activate its store base to donate to American Red Cross hurricane relief work. It also said it would prepare to donated necessary items to emergency shelters — in the aftermath of Hurrican Harvey, Walgreens said its customers donated more than $10 million to Red Cross relief efforts.