Corporate social responsibility is a big deal these days. More and more, customers are choosing to give their business to companies that give back to the community in some way. As Loyalty360 has seen, social responsibility programs can have a large effect on loyalty and advocacy.
Cincinnati-based grocery company Kroger has committed to corporate social responsibility through a partnership with The Cardinal Health Foundation. The two organizations will host drug take-back events at more than 200 local pharmacy locations across the country from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, April 27, 2019. These events are part of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The event provides a safe, convenient and anonymous way for customers to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.
According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 53 percent of people who misused prescription pain medications obtained them from a friend or relative. Kroger and Cardinal Health have been finding and supporting solutions to this problem for many years. The upcoming drug take-back events are just another part of this strategy.
"The Cardinal Health Foundation is proud to continue our partnership with Kroger to host annual drug take-back events across the country in order to help local communities dispose of unused or expired medications," says Jessie Cannon, Vice President of Community Relations at Cardinal Health. "These events provide an opportunity to shine a light on the importance of using—and disposing of—medications safely. For a decade, we've been educating people all across the country on safe medication practices with Generation Rx, the prevention education program created by the Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and through the Opioid Action Program."
Generation Rx has four critically important medication safety principles:
- Only use prescription medications as directed by a health professional
- Never share your prescription medications with others or use someone else's prescription medications
- Always store your medications securely to prevent others from taking them, and properly dispose of medications that you no longer need
- Be a good example to those around you by modeling these safe medication-taking practices and discussing the dangers of misusing prescription drugs with your family, friends, colleagues, students or patients
"The April 27 take-back event, which provides a safe and convenient way for our customers to dispose of their unused or expired medications, is just one step of our comprehensive commitment to help the communities we call home combat the opioid epidemic," says Colleen Lindholz, Kroger's President of Pharmacy and The Little Clinic. "We offer naloxone, the life-saving medication to help rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, as well as free DisposeRx for customers of qualifying medications to keep unused drugs from being used improperly."
In 2018, collection events hosted by Kroger and Cardinal Health resulted in the safe disposal of more than 40,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs. At the 2019 event, the two organizations hope to dispose of even more. Loyalty360 is glad to see that a Cincinnati-based company is strategizing to support communities around the United States.