Neighborhood Health Center Offers New Contactless Prescription Pick-up Option to Patients
Contactless Pharmacy Prescription Locker the First of Its Kind in the Portland Metro Area
PORTLAND, Ore., June 27, 2024 – Neighborhood Health Center (NHC) announced today the opening of a new contactless pharmacy prescription locker at their Tanasbourne clinic.
This pharmacy locker is the fourth implemented in the state of Oregon and the first of its kind in the Portland Metro area. Located in the lobby of NHC Tanasbourne Medical and Dental Clinic, the locker will provide a quick, contactless option for patients to pick up prescriptions and improve access to affordable prescriptions from NHC’s 340B pharmacy.
“Time, availability, and finances are all barriers to adequate pharmaceutical care,” said Dr. Jennifer McElravey, Director of Pharmacy at NHC, a non-profit Community Health Center that provides medical, dental, reproductive, and behavioral health services to Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients in the Portland Metro area.
“The goal of our pharmacy program and our new pharmacy locker is to reduce the barriers to care for our patients and help make their prescription medications more accessible,” she explained.
The streamlined locker process will reduce the wait time patients might encounter at a pharmacy. Once a prescription is ready for pickup, one of NHC’s pharmacy technicians will place the prescription into the locker, and the patient will receive a notification that their prescription is ready for pickup. This process will allow patients to pick up their medications from a secure mechanical storage system at their convenience or while at the clinic for an appointment.
“This locker streamlines the process not only for patients picking up prescriptions but also for providers filling orders,” said McElravey. “As the nation currently experiences a shortage of pharmacy technicians and clinical pharmacists, this prescription locker is incredibly valuable for maintaining high quality service for our patients and supporting the work of our staff,” she added.
NHC’s pharmacy locker was made possible by a grant from CareOregon, a longtime supporter of NHC’s mission and services.
“This novel approach of using automated lockers helps our members access pharmacy services in a way that is easy and efficient, while still providing them with the kind of support they’d get in a traditional pharmacy setting,” said James Slater, Vice President of Pharmacy at CareOregon. “It’s another example of how we’re continually looking for ways to innovate to better serve our members,” he added.
“Because of CareOregon’s generous donation to our pharmacy program, more patients will be able to access the pharmaceutical care they need at a price they can afford,” noted McElravey.
The prescription locker will be open during regular business hours at the Tanasbourne clinic and will be available to all NHC Hunziker Pharmacy patients.
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ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER:
Neighborhood Health Center (NHC) is a non-profit community health center that serves a federally designated Medically Underserved Population (MUP) in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), NHC is governed by a dedicated, patient-majority Board of Directors, committed to the mission of building healthy communities – one neighbor at a time – through patient-centered healthcare, regardless of income or current state of wellness. Learn more: http://nhcoregon.org/
ABOUT CAREOREGON:
For more than 25 years, CareOregon has offered health services and community benefit programs to Oregon Health Plan members. Today, CareOregon supports the needs of more than 500,000 Oregonians through three coordinated care organizations, a Medicare Advantage plan, a Tribal Care Coordination program, a dental care organization, and in-home medical care with Housecall Providers. CareOregon members have access to integrated physical, dental and mental health care, and substance use treatment. We believe that good health requires more than clinics and hospitals, so we also connect members to housing, fresh food, education and transportation services. CareOregon is a mission-driven, community-based nonprofit with offices in Portland, Medford and Seaside, Oregon.
Media Contact:
Jeri Weeks
Tel: (503) 941-3002
Email: weeksj@nhcoregon.org