WOONSOCKET, R.I — As part of CVS Health’s national commitment to address and prevent opioid abuse and misuse, the company has installed 19 safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations across Maryland and the CVS Health Foundation has provided $85,000 to Total Health Care in Baltimore, a community health center dedicated to supporting opioid addiction recovery.

“Launching our in-store safe medication disposal program at CVS Pharmacy locations in Maryland will help remove unused prescription medications from medicine cabinets where they could be otherwise diverted or abused,” said Tom Davis, vice president of professional services for CVS Health. “We are committed to addressing and preventing opioid abuse through our support of the work that organizations like Total Health Care do to promote addiction recovery, which directly aligns with our purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”

The $85,000 grant from the CVS Health Foundation will allow Baltimore’s Total Health Care to develop and implement a trauma informed care model which will increase participation in its substance abuse treatment program. Efforts include an increased focused on care coordination by the Substance Abuse Clinical Supervisor and incorporating alerts into the electronic health record to ensure patients are completing behavioral health visits and medication assisted treatment.

In addition to the 19 new disposal units inside CVS Pharmacy locations, CVS Health has also donated disposal kiosks to police departments in Hampstead, Ellicott Cityand Rising Sun. Other law enforcement officials in Maryland are encouraged to apply to receive a unit from the CVS Health Medication Disposal for Safe Communities Program. Nationwide, CVS Health has donated more than 900 units to police departments, collecting more than 350,000 pounds of unwanted medication.

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 2017. As part of that effort, the company also said it would enhance opioid utilization managementaligned with CDC Guideline for CVS Caremark clients and members, complementing measures already in place.

This work builds on ongoing programs the company operates 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, with more than 5,500 teens and parents in Maryland having already participated in the program. CVS Health has also worked to expand access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone in 46 states, including Maryland.