| Veterans
News Flash 
VA
Putting Mobile Pharmacies on the Road
Peake: VA Reaches Out to Vets, Families in Need
WASHINGTON -- To support veterans and their families
during major emergencies, especially natural disasters,
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun
to deploy mobile pharmacies that will provide vital
medicine when patients are unable to fill their
prescriptions. VA will also open up the facilities
to help communities during major disasters and
other emergencies.
“The mobile pharmacies give VA the ability
to provide critical medications to veterans when
disaster strikes,” said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “VA is committed
to ensuring our veterans receive their care and
prescriptions as soon as possible during an emergency.”
Each VA mobile pharmacy
is housed in a 40-foot-long solid steel trailer
built to withstand winds in a Category 3 storm.
The units include a satellite connection with
VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient
Pharmacy system, a computerized, automated state-of-the-art
mailout pharmacy that can process more than 1,000
prescriptions hourly.
Pharmacists can use
the satellite system to obtain a veteran’s prescription data to dispense
the drugs on site. In addition, VA can send replacement
medications during an emergency by mail or another
carrier to a veteran’s home or temporary
address.
VA recognized the need for mobile pharmacies in
2005 after hurricanes Katrina and Rita severely
damaged VA medical centers along the Gulf Coast.
The Department deployed several mobile medical
clinics as part of its response to the disasters.
The first mobile pharmacy
was unveiled on Sept. 11, 2007 in front of VA’s
Washington, D.C., headquarters. The unit was
displayed recently at a meeting of the American
Society of Health System Pharmacists in Las Vegas.
A second mobile pharmacy is expected to be delivered
in March 2008.
To ensure rapid response
to a wide range of emergencies, VA’s mobile
pharmacies will be strategically placed across
the nation. Plans now call for one of the three
mobile pharmacies to be stationed at Dallas;
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and Charleston, S.C. The
Department also expects to acquire a fourth unit
that will be placed in the western part of the
country.
Each mobile pharmacy is divided into five compartments,
including a work area for pharmacists, an entryway
accessible to patients and a sleeping area with
a bath and shower for VA personnel.
Pharmacy personnel from across the country have
already volunteered to staff the units in the event
of a natural disaster or other emergency. Six pharmacists
who were part of a regional disaster drill have
already completed their training and can deploy
on short notice.
“Our mobile clinics enabled us to provide
critical services during hurricanes Katrina and
Rita not only to veterans but also to thousands
of others in the area who were adversely affected
by the storm,” said Michael Valentino, VA’s
pharmacy chief. “These new mobile pharmacy
units will ensure that we are even better prepared
for future emergencies.”
SOURCE:
US Department of Veterans Affair
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