Walgreens Announces New Mental Health Services and Initiatives

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has announced new mental health services, including an expansion for mental health first aid training for more than 27,000 Walgreens pharmacists.

“The majority of our patients and customers see their pharmacist more than they do any other health care provider, and especially now, pharmacists can play an even greater role with the additional training to help those who may be in crisis,” Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy for Walgreens, said in a press release. “The pandemic has exacerbated what was already widely considered to be a mental health crisis, and we’re proud to further our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities by taking additional steps through these and other initiatives.”

The mental health first aid training is administered by the National Council for Behavioral Health and focuses on mental health literacy, understanding risk factors and warning signs, understanding addiction concerns, and addressing strategies for both crisis and non-crisis situations.

The WBA has also partnered with Digital Health to offer a “How Are Things” mood and symptom checker through the Boots Health Hub, a digital resource offering a wide range of health care and pharmacy services, in addition to Walgreens Find Care.

Walgreens Find Care will be launched by the end of 2021 and offers mental health services through BetterHelp and Sanvello, which provides mental and behavioral health care services.

Walgreens will also offer benefits, resources, and tools to employees through the company’s Life365 Employee Assistance Program with LifeWorks. This program offers free behavioral health counseling and support to employees and their immediate families, as well as a digital platform providing resources on work-life balance and more.

Additionally, Walgreens partnered with Mental Health America to support workplace mental health initiatives. This includes research into employee’s social, emotional, and mental health in various workplace settings as part of its Mind the Workplace Report.

Walgreens introduced their Mental Health First Aid training in 2019 for members of the company’s human resources department but has made the program available to some pharmacy staff.

Reference

Walgreens Boots Alliance Expands Pharmacist Training, New Initiatives to Help Meet Growing Need for Mental Health Resources. BusinessWire. News release. October 21, 2021. Accessed on October 22, 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211021005339/