You may know Walgreens as a place to get your prescriptions and toiletry items, but the pharmacy chain has since launched a major initiative to help millions of Americans gain access to resources to aid mental health. With funding constantly being cut and insurance costs rising, many are without the resources to treat serious psychological issues, so Walgreens is stepping in to try and fill that void.
Walgreens has partnered with Mental Health America to help those who feel they may be suffering with a psychological issue with scientific online assessments to point them toward the right help. Patients can be screened in their own home for common mental health issues like PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The online tool will make recommendations such as resources in the local community. Mental Health America has been providing this service already for several years, but they hope that by partnering with Walgreens, more Americans will be able to benefit from their services. [1]
Patients will also have a free service that reminds them to take their medication and how to take it, as many with mental health issues begin to stop taking their medication once they feel better. Patients often also stop taking their medication because many take several weeks to months to work or there are negative side effects at first. While Walgreens does provide some education on psychiatric medication, they hope that this service will help those on psychotropic drugs stick to the medication they are taking and see improvement. Walgreens will also provide access to telephone and online counselling with certified therapists for $60 a session to those without insurance.
Mental Health America hopes that by partnering with Walgreens, not only will they reach more people, but help reduce the stigma of receiving help for a mental health issue.
Daniel Eisenberg of the University of Michigan, where he is a professor of health management, feels this initiative is a major step in the right direction, particularly because it can be difficult to motivate people to seek follow up care. He said of the partnership:
“Most people associate Walgreens with getting medications for cold or pain relief. It brings mental health into the realm of commonly experienced conditions that people are generally motivated to do something about.” [2]
Sources:
[1] Good
[2] Market Watch