Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin joined CVS Health in colchester today to announce that the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone will now be available to patients without an individual prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations around Vermont. CVS Health has established a standing order with physicians in Vermont that allows CVS Pharmacy to expand access to the medication in the Green Mountain State.
Governor Shumlin at CVS in Colchester
Under Shumlin’s leadership, Vermont has aggressively expanded the availability of naloxone. Two months after dedicating his State of the State Address to the opiate crisis, Gov. Shumlin announced in March 2014 that the state would equip every State Trooper with naloxone, distribute the drug to opiate addiction treatment centers, and make it available on ambulances. To date, Vermont has distributed over 7,000 of overdose reversals kits that have been used to reverse at least 400 overdoses.
“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by expanding access to this medication in our Vermont pharmacies by the use of a physician's standing order for patients without a prescription, we can help save lives,” said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. “We support expanding naloxone availability to give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery and we applaud Governor Shumlin and the State of Vermont for their leadership in the fight against drug abuse and addiction.”
“Vermont has consistently led the nation when it comes to confronting head on the opiate and heroin crisis gripping America,” Shumlin said. “Our efforts to expand the availability of naloxone have saved hundreds of lives and given Vermonters a second chance to get into recovery and get back on track. I want to thank CVS for taking this step to help further expand the availability of naloxone in Vermont and around the country.”
CVS Health has also launched new digital resources onwww.cvs.com/content/prescription-drug-abuse giving patients and families a single destination to learn more about drug abuse prevention. These new resources build on CVS Health’s longstanding commitment to helping communities address and prevent drug abuse. In 2015, CVS Health launched a community outreach program called Pharmacists Teach, which brings local pharmacists to high school health classes to talk to students about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 30,000 students have already taken part in the program. High school teachers and administrators in Vermont can learn more about bringing Pharmacists Teach to their school atwww.CVSHealth.com.
CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which donates disposal units to local police departments, providing a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication. Police departments in Bennington and Montpelier have received units through the program and other police departments in Vermont can apply to receive a drug collection unit at www.cvs.com/safercommunities.
In addition to Vermont, CVS Pharmacy locations will be able to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription in 22 other states by the end of March 2016.