Walgreens Introduces Mental Health First Aid Training

Walgreens has announced a unique collaboration with the National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), to provide Mental Health First Aid training for certain Walgreens pharmacists and team members.

Mental Health First Aid, administered by the National Council, trains participants in mental health literacy, understanding risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns and strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

The initiative further builds upon Walgreens’ mental health platform launched in May 2016 and its digital platform and resources related to mental health, as well as the company’s efforts to curb opioid misuse and abuse, as more than 8m US adults are estimated to be living with a mental health condition as well as battling addiction to opioids or other substances.

“The overall health of our 240,000 team members and their families is a top priority and as a company that champions health and well-being in our communities across the U.S., we strive to do everything we can as an employer to keep our workforce healthy, physically and mentally. We’re proud to offer this training program to hundreds of employees within our human resources department, and through this collaboration, to give more of our workforce critical tools and skills to better serve our customers and our company.” – Walgreens’ SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Kristin Oliver.