Walgreens backs to mental health screening, telehealth services in new initiative
The initiative will also be focused on making sure patients adhere to their drug and treatment regimens.
Walgreens is teaming up with Mental Health America, a nonprofit focused on the needs of those struggling with mental health issues, to launch a new initiative to increase mental health screenings and tie patients with more telehealth services.
The initiative will also be focused on making sure patients adhere to their drug and treatment regimens.
The partnership will spawn a new online portal that will provide screening services, as well as information on a host of conditions, ranging from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder.
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The goal, the companies said, is to screen 3 million people by the end of 2017. The site will allow those people to anonymously rate their conditions.
May is Mental Health Month, dedicated to shining a spotlight on the issue. In all, mental health disorders affect about one in four Americans each year -- more than heart disease or diabetes.
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Harry Leider, chief medical officer at Walgreens, said in a statement that while patients generally adhere well to proper treatment, many don't seek medical help at all.
The portal seeks to change that, and in addition to its MHA partnership, Walgreens has also teamed up with the Breakthrough service of MDLIVE. This allows the company to provide behavioural telehealth services, ostensibly improving patient convenience and access, particularly in communities that lack mental health support and services.
Twitter: @JELagasse
