Woonsocket PD Lauded for Early Participation in Safer Communities Program

CVS/pharmacy announced today that it is teaming up with The Partnership at Drugfree.org to create an innovative community donation program through which local police departments can apply to receive a drug collection unit to help their communities safely dispose of unwanted medications, including controlled substances. 

As part of CVS/pharmacy’s Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program, up to 1,000 receptacles will be awarded to police departments through an application process that will launch on May 1, 2014 at www.cvs.com/safercommunities. CVS/pharmacy and the Partnership at Drugfree.org will obtain the drug collection units from MedReturn, LLC (www.medreturn.com).

“As part of our on-going commitment to combat prescription drug abuse, we have participated in events for many years with law enforcement to help safely dispose of expired, unused or unwanted medication,” said Josh Flum, Senior Vice President of Retail Pharmacy at CVS Caremark. “Through this donation program, CVS/pharmacy and the Partnership at Drugfree.org will now provide our communities with a permanent drug disposal solution at their local police departments. 

CVS/pharmacy is the only retail pharmacy sponsor of The Partnership at Drugfree.org’s Medicine Abuse Project, a multi-year initiative to prevent a half-million teenagers from abusing prescription medication by the year 2017.

"CVS is one of the founding sponsors of The Medicine Abuse Project and has been an exceptional partner in bringing the program to life in their stores, in the communities they serve and among their employees," said Steve Pasierb, President & CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “We're excited to take this great collaboration with CVS to the next level through the donation of drug collection units to police departments nationwide. Having up to 1,000 additional collection sites will have a positive impact in reducing the availability of prescription medicines that have abuse potential."

CVS/pharmacy is also a strong supporter of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day being held this Saturday, April 26. Nearly 200 CVS/pharmacy locations across the U.S. will host drug take back events managed by local law enforcement agencies.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, established by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means to dispose of prescription drugs, while educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. It is held twice each year, in the spring and fall, at thousands of locations in the U.S. Since its inception, more than 3.4 million pounds of unneeded medications have been collected and destroyed. More information, including a complete list of event locations on April 26, is available at http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/ 

CVS/pharmacy invited local law enforcement agencies to use its store locations as Drug Take Back Day sites through its Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program, which launched last October. Through the Safer Communities program, almost 300 police departments also signed up to have their on-going drug collection and disposal programs promoted in CVS/pharmacy stores.  As a result, beginning in June about 400 CVS/pharmacy locations around the country will display signage with information on drug collection sites at local police stations and other facilities.  Law enforcement agencies interested in promoting their collection sites can visit www.cvs.com/safercommunities.