Southeastern Grocers ushers in contactless prescription delivery

Southeastern Grocers has partnered with medication delivery specialist ScriptDrop to provide contactless delivery of prescriptions and is instituting new solutions to help prevent drug abuse and misuse.

The Jacksonville, Fla.-based grocer said yesterday it’s starting the ScriptDrop service at its Winn-Dixie, Harveys Supermarket and Fresco y Más chains. Customers can choose from three delivery options: free curbside pickup, two-day shipping for $4.99 or same-day delivery — if within five miles of their local store — for $7.99. Customers can utilize any one of these options by simply contacting their local pharmacist to coordinate a delivery method of choice.

Columbus, Ohio-based ScriptDrop provides on-demand delivery by connecting pharmacies to a network of couriers. The company said its medication delivery platform seamlessly links to retailers’ pharmacy workflow systems, and its specially trained, HIPAA-compliant drivers deliver medicines while protecting patient information. Prescriptions are delivered in tamper-proof, privacy packaging. Drivers use a special app that tracks their progress and sends patients text updates. Deliveries are left at the patient’s doorstep.

“We are at a pivotal moment in the fight against COVID-19, and we all need to do our part to protect one another when possible,” Gayle Shields, vice president of pharmacy and grocery nonfood merchandising at Southeastern Grocers, said in a statement. “In an effort to give our customers a more accessible and safe way to pick up medication, Southeastern Grocers will begin to offer contactless prescription delivery at all Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie pharmacy locations. We hope this new option, combined with our collective effort as a community, will help us overcome this dangerous virus.”

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Other grocery retailers using ScriptDrop’s delivery service include Publix Super Markets and Albertsons Cos.

Southeastern Grocers, too, is doing its part to fight prescription drug abuse and misuse, including resources for prevention and emergency treatment in the nation’s opioid crisis. The retailer’s pharmacies are employing new software from Omnicell Population Health Solutions that enables pharmacists to identify patients at risk for an accidental opioid overdose.

The Opioid Mitigation Solution from Omnicell, a Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of patient engagement and communications solutions, creates tasks for pharmacists to proactively reach out to patients. The software evaluates if a patient is actively taking their medications and determines if they are aware of potentially harmful side effects related to opioid abuse.

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This year, Winn-Dixie came in third among supermarkets in pharmacy customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study.

For situations where emergency treatment is necessary because of suspected opioid overdose, Southeastern Grocers said its pharmacies now carry naloxone, a life-saving antidote that can be provided without a prescription. Those who are prescribed opioids, take illicit opioids or caregivers who distribute opioids are encouraged to have naloxone on hand in case of accidental overdose, the company said.

Southeastern Grocers also is partnering with Safe Rx to help prevent prescription drug misuse of medication. Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Safe Rx offers locking pill bottles to help keep prescriptions secure, and the bottles are now available at all Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie pharmacies.

In addition, Southeastern Grocers is deploying medication take-back kiosks in the greater Jacksonville area. Six Harveys and Winn-Dixie pharmacy locations will have receptacles to provide Jacksonville residents with a safe place to discard expired, unused or surplus prescription medicines, helping to prevent drug misuse and abuse in the home as well as protect the environment.

Overall, Southeastern Grocers operates about 550 supermarkets in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. About half of the retailer’s locations have in-store pharmacies. This year, Winn-Dixie came in third among supermarkets in pharmacy customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study.