CVS Health has announced two initiatives in New Hampshire designed to combat opioid abuse.
The company has installed safe medication disposal units inside two CVS Pharmacy locations in the state to help facilitate proper and timely disposal of opioids and other medications that could be diverted or misused if left in people’s homes. In addition, the company committed more than $60,000 in funding to three New Hampshire nonprofit organizations that are working to address and prevent opioid abuse.
“Pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals in the community, where we have witnessed the impacts of the epidemic of opioid addiction and misuse,” said Thomas G. Davis, R.Ph., VP of professional services for CVS Health. “Expanding our safe medication disposal efforts and funding community organizations in New Hampshire is an extension of our commitment to address and prevent opioid abuse in the communities we serve and fulfill our purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”
The new medication disposal units have been installed inside CVS Pharmacy locations at 242 Main Street in Nashua and 268 West Street in Keene. These locations were chosen because they are 24-hour pharmacies.
These disposal units supplement the 15 additional units CVS Health has donated to police departments across the state. Nationwide, CVS Health has donated more than 850 units to police departments, collecting more than 140 metric tons—or 300,000 pounds—of unwanted medication.
In addition, the company is contributing more than $60,000 to programs that address and prevent opioid abuse in coordination with three New Hampshire organizations: SOS Recovery Community Organization, Hope on Haven Hill and Concord Hospital.
SOS Recovery Community Organization in Somersworth has received $20,000 from CVS Health to build capacity for current peer recovery coaches as well as recruit, train, and certify new recovery coaches to better serve individuals seeking services in Strafford County.
Hope on Haven Hill in Rochester is a substance use treatment organization serving homeless, pregnant and newly parenting mothers who are in recovery. It has received a $10,000 grant from CVS Health to train staff and volunteers to assist New Hampshire women obtain recovery and find new coping skills while becoming a new parent.
Concord Hospital Trust in Concord has received a $30,000 grant from CVS Health to further implement consistent SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) screenings in its Concord Hospital Medical Group primary care practices. The grant also will provide practice staff with professional development opportunities and training around the stigma associated with addiction and mental illness.
The expansion of safe medication disposal to a total of 750 CVS Pharmacy locations across the U.S. was included among the enhancements to the company’s strategy to address and prevent opioid abuse announced in September of 2017. It also has worked to expand access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone in 46 states, including New Hampshire.
