CVS Health recently announced the expansion of its safe medication disposal program to select CVS Pharmacy locations in Virginia to help facilitate the proper and timely disposal of opioids and other medications before they are diverted or misused.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, Chesterfield Deputy Chief of Police Lt. Col. Dan Kelly, addiction specialist Dr. Peter Breslin and McShin Foundation CEO Honesty Brackett Liller attended the June 2018 launch of the program in Richmond, Virginia.
"Every day, our pharmacy teams see firsthand the impact of the alarming and rapidly growing epidemic of opioid addiction and misuse," said Thomas M. Moriarty, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer for CVS Health. "Expanding our safe medication disposal efforts here in Virginia is an extension of the many initiatives in place across our company to fight the opioid abuse epidemic and fulfill our purpose of helping people on their path to better health."
The new units in Virginia are part of the expansion of 750 safe medication disposal units to CVS Pharmacy locations across the U.S. and other enhancements to the company's strategy to address and prevent opioid abuse, announced in September 2017. This work builds on long-standing programs, including the Pharmacists Teach program, which brings CVS Pharmacists to local schools to talk to teens and parents about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. More than 400,000 teens nationally, including nearly 13,000 in Virginia, have already participated in the program.
For more information about our efforts in the fight against opioid abuse, visit Our Commitment to Fight Opioid Abuse and the CVS Health Impact Dashboard. To stay informed about the latest updates and innovations from CVS Health, register for content alerts and our bi-weekly health care newsletter.