Thursday, May 15, 2008

JCMH shows off new pharmacy, clinic

by Kenneth Lassiter

With newly remodeled office space and an area to actually offer some small gift and pharmaceutical items to customers, Kim Troupe is finding no problems with her new situation at Jefferson County Memorial Hospital in Winchester.

Troupe has been pharmacist at the hospital for nearly six years, and the small pharmacy at JCMH recently moved into the former admissions office and south lobby of the hospital. An open house for both the pharmacy and the hospital’s new medical clinic are planned from 1 to 6 p.m. today (Thursday). The clinic will have its first appointments May 20, but the new pharmacy location has been in operation for a short time.

The new space features somewhat more storage space as well as the aforementioned area in the former south lobby where other items can be sold. Renovation work began last year on the space in preparation for the move. Troupe and her three children and a couple others did the moving work in transferring items from the old pharmacy space the short trip down the hall to the new space.

“This gives us a chance to sell some stuff out front,” Troupe said. “We’d really like some feedback from people to tell us what they would want. We’ve been thinking about candles and other gift items we might add. The move actually went pretty smooth.”

Troupe has two full-time and two part-time workers with her in the pharmacy, and the hours have changed to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with the move. The pharmacy does deliver to outlying areas for a small fee.

Beside the everyday work of a pharmacist, Troupe has also been busy in recent years helping counsel customers who ask for help with choosing a Medicare Part D plan. She said she has a group of about 120 people that she helps find the right plan for their health needs.

“I think it’s still pretty ambiguous to a lot of people what goes on with the program and how it works,” Troupe said.

As for now, Troupe said the change to a new pharmacy space has gone well and she and the pharmacy staff are enjoying the transition.

“We really like the new front part, and it seems like people who come in really like it,” Troupe said. She and her family live in McLouth. “It’s kind of nice to have the big window in front. It makes it a lot lighter in here. We’ve been pretty happy with it.”

The new clinic will be overseen by JCMH Chief of Staff Dr. John Eplee and will be staffed by Physician’s Assistants Susan Quirk and Michelle Pruessner. JCMH CEO LaMont Cook said Quirk had worked at the hospital and was signed on for the new clinic before helping recruit Pruessner. He said a third physician’s assistant would be hired soon to help staff the clinic, which is open to walk-ins and appointments from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays by appointment only.

Cook said he felt that both the pharmacy and clinic projects, which were early goals of his when he came into the CEO job late last year, had come along well.

“I felt like the staff handled it very well,” Cook said. “We were able to put it all together and make the change with a certain amount of ease. I think it’s a nice addition, and we’re pleased about being able to offer a little bit more convenience and service to the community.”

Cook said the part-time nature of the clinic is only temporary, and JCMH plans to get another doctor involved in the clinic’s services.

“We’ll be expanding hours at the clinic in the near future,” Cook said. “It’s always nice to have options for the public. To me, kind of a caveat to all this is, with the clinic and pharmacy, it’s a non-profit organization, so any revenues made will come back to serve the community through what the hospital offers. You can’t say that with the pharmacies at Wal-Mart, CVS or Walgreens. There is community benefit with those places in terms of jobs, but the money can go elsewhere. There is a little bit of added value in having the pharmacy at the hospital.”