Walmart Inc. is expanding its measures to help prevent misuse of prescription opioids in the United States, the company said Wednesday.
Dr. Thomas Van Gilder, Walmart's chief medical officer, said in a blog post that the Bentonville-based retailer has given an educational grant to the American Pharmacists Association to expand a training program to all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians nationwide. He didn't disclose the amount of the grant.
The curriculum was developed in 2018 as required professional development for Walmart's pharmacists, Van Gilder said. The free, online program helps pharmacists and technicians identify risks of opioid abuse and misuse and share this information with patients.
Van Gilder also said Walmart has developed a virtual reality tool that lets its users see how an opioid overdose affects a person and walks them through the steps of administering the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.
Walmart is partnering with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America and other organizations to host community training sessions using the virtual reality tool across the country later this year.
Business on 05/14/2020