healing procedures 09.21.17 Opioid abuse is a national epidemic that doesn t discriminate, claiming the lives of the young, the old, the rich and the poor. Deaths related to opioid use continue to skyrocket, quadrupling from 1999 to 2015. To help find solutions to this public health crisis, CVS Health is launching an enterprise-wide effort to reduce opioid misuse and abuse that includes expanding our drug disposal collection program to 1,550 units with the addition of 750 in-store medication disposal units at CVS Pharmacy locations, a strengthened and more robust counseling program for new opioid prescriptions and enhanced utilization guidelines to ensure that opioids are being prescribed and used appropriately. These commitments build on years of innovative programs to encourage safe medication disposal, educate students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and increase access to naloxone. These include: Keeping Medications Out of the Wrong Hands We created the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program to prevent medications from being diverted from those with a legitimate prescription. This program allows police departments to apply for a no-cost drug collection unit to help their communities safely discard unwanted medications, including controlled substances. Since 2014, we have donated more than 800 drug collection units to police departments across the country, and to date, the program has collected more than 100 metric tons of prescription drugs over the past two years Expanding Treatment Options Naloxone , also known by the brand name Narcan, offers people a second chance at seeking the treatment they need. This lifesaving drug that blocks opioid receptor sites to reverse the effects of an overdose. Over the past two years, CVS Health has worked to expand access to naloxone without individual prescriptions in 46 states. Preventing Abuse through Education Our Pharmacists Teach program gives teens the facts about prescription drug misuse and abuse. Our pharmacists visit high schools to deliver a powerful presentation that includes stories of real young men and women whose lives were forever changed by their choice to abuse prescription painkillers. Employing Strategies from Our PBM CVS Caremark, our pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) has made major investments in technology and training to ensure that patients receive the right drug at the right time. Teams review each prescription to ensure that prescriptions are safe and appropriately prescribed before they are dispensed. This is done using point-of-service prescriber and patient verifications, as well as drug utilization reviews at mail and retail pharmacy locations. PBM teams also maintain a regular dialogue with prescribers and members, and follow national clinical guidelines to identify situations that may contribute to prescription misuse or abuse. Our expanded initiatives to prevent opioid abuse builds on these ongoing efforts, and includes strengthened counseling for patients filling an opioid prescription with a robust safe opioid use education program, increased medication disposal options and enhanced utilization review. Learn more about our opioid abuse prevention and mitigation strategies . For more information about the opioid abuse crisis, visit our Prescription Drug Abuse information center. And to stay informed about the most talked-about topics in health care, register for content alerts and our bi-weekly health care newsletter . Related Articles CVS Health and POLITICO Examine the Opioid Crisis A quick and easy-to-understand explanation of one of the most pressing challenges in public health: the opioid epidemic. Tackling the Nation s Opioid Crisis: POLITICO Pro Health Care Briefing Experts weigh in with personal experiences and multifaceted solutions to addressing the opioid crisis in America. A State of Emergency: Integrative Approaches to Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic Moriarty discusses the power of partnerships in tackling the opioid epidemic. Related Press Releases 09.21.17 CVS Health Fighting National Opioid Abuse Epidemic With Enterprise Initiatives 09.12.17 CVS Health Makes Overdose-Reversal Drug Available Without Individual Prescription at CVS Pharmacy Locations in Kansas 07.27.17 CVS Health Makes Overdose-Reversal Drug Available Without Individual Prescription at CVS Pharmacy Locations in South Dakota 05.23.17 Attorney General Brnovich, Rep. Carter Join CVS Health to Announce Availability of Naloxone at All CVS Pharmacy Locations in Arizona 04.27.17 CVS Health Report Examines Public Perceptions of Opioid Epidemic, Drug Disposal Ahead of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 03.29.17 Reynolds, State Officials and CVS Health Announce Availability of Naloxone at All CVS Pharmacy Locations in Iowa learn how to
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