CVS Pharmacy at Target: Keeping Communities Safer

I’m proud to be working with CVS Pharmacy on the CVS Pharmacy Difference Campaign. All opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.

Prescriptions. As a mom, I make countless trips to the pharmacy for my kids. Too many over the years to even count. Ear infections, pink eye, head lice…one minute we’re in the pediatrician’s office, and the next I’m at CVS waiting for a script to be filled, or to have the pharmacist direct me to the best aisle to find our remedy du jour. But last week, I went to a lecture and gained a new perspective on prescriptions. The Chief of Police of our neighbhorhood was speaking about an innovative new program to help curb the high incidents of drug overdoses.

Thankfully most of my kids’ medicines are completed during their treatment. But over the years my husband and I have acquired a sizable inventory of leftover prescriptions in our medicine cabinet. The risks of keeping dangerous drugs in our home is just not worth the off chance that I may one day seek a pain pill prescribed when I threw my back out 10 years ago. Needless to say how effective a medication that old would be anyway.

The scary thought that a visitor to our home would rifle through our medicine cabinet to enable an addiction, or a teenage child would experiment with our pills is propelling me to take immediate action. I will get rid of all our prescriptions that are no longer active. Unfortunately it’s not as easy an action as I originally thought. There are different rules for different states regarding prescription drug disposal, so you need to do your research. One place to begin is to ask your friendly pharmacist for solutions.

I recently learned that postage-paid Environmental Return System envelopes are available at all CVS Pharmacy locations. Using these envelopes, customers can send their unwanted medications for secure and environmentally safe disposal. Among the many useful prescription tools available on on the CVS website https://www.cvs.com/pharmacy/#/pharmacy that I’ve become aware of since their merger with Target stores is a search engine for identifying prescription disposal sites by zip code. Check it out at here http://www.cvs.com/content/safer-communities-locate The CVS Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program also works with local police departments to donate drug collection units. In essence these look like those outside library book return boxes only they are for prescription drug drop offs.

Drug abuse and addictions are huge problems that have truly left no family unscathed. It can make you feel powerless to help a loved one that suffers from this epidemic, but getting rid of unneeded prescription drugs in your household is an action you can take. I strive to create a safe, loving household that welcomes all without providing risks or unneeded temptations. This is a simple step we can all take.

I feel good about shopping at my local CVS now within my Target store when I feel like they are taking steps to keep my family and community safer. I hope you will too.