Page 23 - Island hospital Heartbeats_Winter2018

Support Department Spotlight

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The Pharmacy Department works as a team to provide nearly 300,000 doses of medication annually.

Pharmacy Department – Providing optimal,

individualized patient services, support

he Island Hospital Pharmacy tuted an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Each year, the Pharmacy Department
TDepartment provides evidence-based, an innovative and intensive practice-based reviews and optimizes tens of thousands of
cost-effective and safe drug therapy to attain activity focusing on the pharmacist’s role in medication orders that lead to nearly 300,000
optimal patient-care outcomes. The Pharmacy the area of appropriate use of antimicrobial medication doses for acutely ill patients.
staff utilizes modern technology and empha- agents. The program emphasizes a team “Patient safety is priority one,” said
sizes education, training and development of approach to implement a program that will Kenneth Martin PharmD, Director of
staff. improve patient care, reduce healthcare Pharmacy. “We have an excellent staff that is
Working closely with nurses and physi- expenditures, and potentially reduce rates of
cians, pharmacists provide oversight of medi- resistance and prolong the longevity of the detail-minded, experienced and work excep-
tionally well as a team.”
cation selection and utilization for hospital limited number of antimicrobial agents avail-
patients. Department staff advises nurses and able to treat infections. Along with Martin, the Pharmacy
physicians to ensure all medications are pre- Department includes seven pharmacists:
scribed appropriately, are administered safely • David Ball PharmD
and work effectively. • Melvin Cook RPh, MS
Island Hospital’s Pharmacy Department • Bernadine Feist RPh, BCPS
also provides specialized outpatient infusion • Ashleigh Galamison PharmD
services via the satellite pharmacy located in • Don Jones PharmD
the Merle Cancer Care Center. • Kristin Rogers PharmD
Committed to patient safety • Travis Vandeway RPh
In addition, the Department has nine
IH pharmacists and technicians practice pharmacy technicians:
on all patient floors, including the Emergency • Christine Adkison CPhT, buyer and lead
Department (ED) where staff provides rigor-
ous monitoring of patients’ personal medica- • Geneva Blackmer CPhT
tions, proven to improve post-ED care and cut ▲ • Hilary Foran CPhT
re-admission rates. In addition, pharmacists After mixing a sterile compound, • Jean Houston CPhT
are at the forefront of medication safety and • Joshua Lecha CPhT
have instituted new technologies that improve pharmacy tech Jackie Wall hands • Brianna Sommer CPhT
workflow and automate processes to prevent medication to tech Joshua Lecha. All • Caron Teijen CPhT
errors in patient care. medications are checked by by a phar- • Angel Villalobos CPhT
The IH Pharmacy Department has insti- macist before delivery to patient area. • Jackie Wall CPhT

Winter 2018 | Heartbeats | 23