Eggs, milk, butter, Rx

NMRTC Pensacola
Story by Petty Officer 1st Class James Stenberg

Date: 04.15.2013
Posted: 04.15.2013 15:19
News ID: 105215
Eggs, milk, butter, Rx

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A shopping list that includes prescriptions will soon become a reality for many of the TRICARE beneficiaries in the Pensacola area. Naval Hospital Pensacola is projected to open a new satellite pharmacy next to the Naval Air Station Pensacola Commissary by the end of the June. Having the new satellite pharmacy located near the commissary will provide beneficiaries a convenient option for prescription pick-ups and refill.

“The satellite pharmacy will provide an additional point of service for patients to get their prescriptions,” said Lt. Briana Reed, assistant department head, NHP Pharmacy. “It will also serve as an additional site for refills, and the patients will have the option to utilize a drive-thru window for pick-ups as well.”

An estimated 150-200 patients with prescriptions from an outside civilian provider visit NHP’s pharmacy each day, according to Lt. Kenneth Jenkins, department head, NHP Pharmacy. The new pharmacy will provide individuals with an alternate and convenient place to get their prescriptions.

During peak hours, traffic at NHP’s pharmacy can get rather high. Having a satellite pharmacy will lessen the traffic through NHP while also allowing more beneficiaries to be served overall.

“Being able to serve more people at any one time should provide a more quality experience for the patients,” said Jenkins.

Beneficiaries will also be able to call in refills through the automated system for pick up at the new site. Aside from processing around 1,000 prescriptions a day, NHP fills 2,000 refill orders a day, both locally and through all of its 10 branch clinics. All refills are filled centrally at NHP and are then delivered to the other branch clinics that are located throughout five states.

“On any given day, we have upwards of 3,000 prescriptions that we are filling for beneficiaries all over the Southeast United States,” said Jenkins.

As the third busiest pharmacy in the Navy, NHP has been working hard to make this new satellite a reality. More information will follow as the new pharmacy nears completion.