Fort Campbell, KY – In response to budget uncertainty, Blanchfied Army Community Hospital’s command is doing their part to meet any mandated budgetary reductions. BACH’s command must make some changes to “extra” services that were previously accessible to patients.
The hospital administration is adamant about keeping programs in place that promote wellness and overall well being of the patient population.
However there are some programs which were an added extra benefit that will no longer continue to be offered.
One popular program that was offered within BACH pharmacies that patients have taken advantage of over the past several years is the free Self Care Over-the-Counter medications. Patients who visited the hospital’s Patient and Family Medical Resource Center were able to view educational slide presentations.
The slides provided them an opportunity to determine whether self care could be applied at home or whether the condition warranted a visit to their care team. Patients may continue to view the educational information within the Patient and Family Medical Resource Center; however they will not be provided a Self Care Card to receive free over-the-counter medications within BACH pharmacies. Effective immediately, patients will now have to purchase their over-the-counter medications at local drug stores or other businesses that carry self-care medications.
“This program has been a benefit to our Fort Campbell beneficiaries for several years and we were happy to offer the free self-care items. We were able to absorb the cost to offer this extra benefit to our patients while working with our care teams to help reduce unnecessary visits if patients were able to provide self care at home. However now with the budget cuts, it is imperative that we cut this program so that we can continue to provide exceptional, safe and timely service by providing only prescription medications to patients visiting our pharmacies,” said Chief of Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Pharmacy Maj. Kevin Ridderhoff.
[320left[The Main Pharmacy within the hospital will close at 5:00pm instead of 6:00pm beginning February 19th. Patient primary care appointments conclude at 4:30pm Monday through Friday; therefore patients using the hospital’s Main Pharmacy should have enough time to fill their prescriptions before leaving the hospital. If patient appointments exceed 5:00pm, they can continue to get their prescription filled at the Town Center Pharmacy until 6:00pm.
According to Ridderhoff, “Some of the Pharmacy extended service planning that previously took place will no longer be implemented since we are having to make difficult decisions in budget cuts and do our part in preserving the nation’s resources. It is imperative to optimize all the services currently in place with safety being the number one priority.”
