WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health
(NYSE: CVS) today announced new and expanded programs to help
prevent opioid misuse, which come as the pandemic has presented
challenges to delivering traditional drug abuse prevention programs
for young people. The company's newest initiative increases
access to digital prevention education resources tailored for the
current learning environment.
Working with Discovery Education, CVS Health has launched a
suite of no-cost digital resources that empower educators to
discuss the facts about prescription and illicit drug misuse with
students in either a classroom or virtual learning setting.
The standards-based curriculum, called Dose of Knowledge, features
Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen
Robinson and U.S. Women's National Soccer goalkeeper
Adrianna Franch. The
initiative builds on CVS Health's successful pharmacist-led
prevention education program by incorporating the perspective
of several CVS pharmacists.
"The pandemic has brought new complexities to the way in which
prevention and treatment services are provided, but early
intervention remains as important as ever," said Troyen Brennan,
M.D., Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health. "Our work with
Discovery Education accounts for the new definition of a
'classroom,' and delivers the same impactful resources to students
regardless of their circumstances."
The CVS Health Foundation, a private charitable organization
created by CVS Health, has also committed nearly $3 million in new grants to address opioid misuse
and support treatment in local communities, including:
- More than $1 million to the
National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to support
addiction treatment and other patient services in 17 states;
- $1 million to America's Essential
Hospitals to support office-based addiction treatment for more than
30 safety-net hospitals and facilitate a collaborative to share
learnings with member hospitals;
- $500,000 to Easterseals to
support mental health and addiction recovery services for veterans;
and
- Nearly $100,000 to Young People
In Recovery to create a digital life-skills curriculum to help
young people rebuild their lives.
In addition to the impact these investments aim to have, a new
report from the National Association of Community Health
Centers is outlining the impact in this area of previous
investments made by the CVS Health Foundation.
CVS Health is also building on its commitment to increase access
to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone, also known as
Narcan. The medication has already been made
available without an individual prescription, under a standing
order or similar regulation, to CVS Pharmacy patients
nationwide. Now, CVS Pharmacy is offering free delivery of
naloxone nasal spray in all 30 states where regulations permit, as
part of the company's free one- to two-day prescription
delivery offering that was implemented shortly after the
pandemic began.
On Saturday, October 24, CVS
Health will participate in the Drug Enforcement Association's
National Prescription Take Back Day, with events at select CVS
Pharmacy locations. These events are just part of CVS
Health's everyday efforts to reduce the availability of unneeded or
unwanted controlled substances, which also include more than 2,800
CVS Pharmacy locations that offer permanent safe medication
disposal kiosks. By the end of 2020, CVS Health will have
installed more than 2,900 safe medication disposal units in CVS
Pharmacy locations and donated more than 1,000 disposal units to
local law enforcement. Together, these units have collected
nearly two million pounds of unwanted medication, including
opioids, removing these medications from homes where they could be
diverted or abused. All CVS Pharmacy locations that do not
offer in-store safe medication disposal units continue to offer
no-cost DisposeRx drug disposal packets with all opioid first-fill
prescriptions that can facilitate safe medication disposal at
home.
About CVS Health
CVS Health employees are united
around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health
company. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and
meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at
one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the
palm of their hand. Our newest offerings – from HealthHUB locations
that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs
that help manage chronic conditions – are designed to create a
higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more
about how we're transforming health at www.cvshealth.com.
About the CVS Health Foundation
The CVS Health
Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS
Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people
of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation
provides strategic investments to nonprofits throughout the U.S.
who help increase community-based access to health care for
underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic
disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth
prevention programming. We also invest in scholarship programs that
open the pathways to careers in pharmacy to support the academic
aspirations of the best and brightest talent in the industry. Our
philanthropy also extends to supporting our colleagues' spirit of
volunteerism through Volunteer Challenge Grants to nonprofits where
they donate their time and fundraising efforts. To learn more about
the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, visit
www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility.
Media Contact:
Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com
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SOURCE CVS Health