CVS installs time-delay safes in stores across Pennsylvania
Share this post:
CVS Pharmacy officials are hoping to prevent pharmacy robberies and increase safety in stores across the state thanks to new time-delay safes.
The safes, which were placed in all CVS locations in Pennsylvania — including pharmacies located in Target stores — electronically delay the time it takes for pharmacy employees to be able to open the safe. The delay cannot be overridden and is designed to deter robbers.
“We have seen that time-delay safes, combined with other security policies and procedures in place at our stores, can greatly reduce (robbery) incidents,” Thomas Moriarty, executive vice president and chief external affairs officer for CVS Health said in a news release. “We are pleased to roll out this enhanced security measure as these safes will help ensure that our pharmacies remain a safe environment for our patients and colleagues.”
The program was first implemented in Indianapolis stores in 2015. Officials at the company said they saw a 70% decline in pharmacy robberies where the time delay safes had been installed.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said 12 state residents lose their lives due to drug overdoses every day, adding that four out of five heroin users start with prescription drugs.
Over the course of several months, the company has announced they are adding the safes to stores in Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama and Tennessee. Signs warning that time-delay safes are in use are posted in each of the stores.
CVS Health has also given a $20,000 grant to the health outreach project at the Drexel University College of Medicine to help expedite distribution of naloxone — also known as Narcan — a medication that can reverse overdoses. The grant will also fund training for volunteers who will educate community members about recognizing an overdose, using naloxone and general principles of harm reduction.
The company has worked across the country to increase access to Narcan. Patients can now obtain the medication without an individual prescription.