CVS Health helps patients as natural disasters approach

The CVS Health Institute and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently released research showing that automated notifications sent out by pharmacies are helping patients with chronic conditions remember to refill their medications before forecast natural disasters hit.
The study has also confirmed that partnerships between public and private entities can create appropriate outreach from pharmacies to create better planning for natural disasters by communities.
"Emergency departments and medical responders can be overwhelmed by the number of people seeking medical care after a disaster simply because they ran out of their daily medications and couldn't reach a pharmacy due to impassable streets and business closures," HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dr. Nicole Lurie said. "The number of people who need medications for chronic conditions continues to rise, and communities across the country need solutions that can help them stay healthy, even in a disaster situation. This study demonstrated how powerful public-private partnerships can be in providing solutions that can protect health for residents and whole communities."
The research conducted by CVS and ASPR was recently published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.