GREENSBURG – Decatur County Memorial Hospital constantly strives to make advancements to meet the community’s needs. One of these advancements will be a new pharmacy due to open early June.
In the past, the hospital has only been certified to distribute medications to patients while they are being seen inside the hospital. With the new pharmacy addition, DCMH will now be licensed to sell prescriptions to the public.
The location of the pharmacy is in the main hall of the hospital. A tube system has been installed to allow the pharmacy to have a drive-thru service underneath the Lincoln Street canopy. Along with signage located on both the entrance and exit of the drive-thru, there will also be lines directing all cars through safely.
One of the big advantages to the retail pharmacy will be that certain patients who are uninsured and qualify under DCMH’s financial assistance program may be eligible for prescription discounts. “This was one of the big reasons why adding a pharmacy was such an attractive idea for the hospital. We can qualify for certain federal drug discounts that no other pharmacy in town can qualify for,” Vincent Polito, pharmacy director, added, “Our pharmacy staff has always looked for options to try and help our patients obtain their medications cheaper.”
Polito says they plan to accept all major insurance companies and plans, including Medicaid and Medicare Part D plans. “This will be the last piece of the puzzle the department is waiting on before opening the pharmacy to the public.”
All community members are welcome to attend the Pharmacy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on June 1 at the Lincoln Street entrance, where the drive-thru will be located.
In preparation for the grand opening, it is best for the safety and security of all DCMH patients to change the Lincoln Street doors to an employee-only entrance. The entrance near the Emergency Room will be the main entrance for all visitors to the hospital. Along with this change, the parking lot located near the Lincoln Street employee entrance will be temporarily shut down. DCMH patients will continue to have several convenient parking options in the areas in front of the Emergency Room entrance.
In addition to this new service, DCMH has also welcomed two new pharmacists to the department, Alyssa Kramer and Matt Weber.
Alyssa is new to the Decatur County community. She graduated with a doctor of pharmacy degree from Duquesne University located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not only does she have background experience in intensive care and emergency, she also received pharmacy management experience from Walgreens.
The other new pharmacist, Matt Weber, is not new to this community. Matt has been a pharmacist in Greensburg for about ten years. He was previously a pharmacy manager at the Walgreens in Greensburg before moving to CVS about a year ago.
And of course, the new pharmacy will have Nick Peters, who has worked with DCMH in the Anti-Coagulation Clinic for quite some time. Nick has been a pharmacist for 42 years.
If you are already an in-patient at the hospital, the pharmacy will have your prescriptions ready before leaving the hospital, saving you time in stopping at a pharmacy on your way home.
Patients’ prescription co-pays should not be any different than at other pharmacies in town. In addition, DCMH offers various over-the-counter medications.
Another advantage is that pharmacy patient information ties into the DCMH medical records system. This allows the pharmacists to see all prescriptions that have been prescribed to a patient and provide any guidance needed for taking those prescriptions.
The new pharmacy will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 pm.
— Daily News