Insight - Fall 2020

Fall 2020 | 9 OPEN Community Pharmacy OPEN Community Pharmacy Paying it Forward Richard Edmund, Staff Writer Our Paying it Forward series is where we pay tribute to a pharmacy that gives back to its community. But this time, we’re honoring all community pharmacies for pulling together in the face of a global pandemic. QS/1 began sharing news about the novel strain of the coronavirus that became known as COVID-19 late in 2019. But by March 2020, our lives and businesses took a drastic turn when we had to navigate “the new norm.” We started hearing new terms in our vernacular like “working remote,” “social distancing,” “virtual meetings,” and “essential workers.” We can all agree pharmacies fall into the category of essential. No matter what happens in our communities, patients still need their medications and missing a refill could be the difference between life and death. So, community pharmacy did what it does best, rolled up its sleeves and jumped into the fire to help. QS/1 began nearly a half century ago – helping community pharmacies thrive, and we’ve always been inspired by the personal service these operations provide. We were eager to lead the efforts and make sure pharmacists knew what tools were at their disposal. We leveraged most of our resources to highlight the features available at your fingertips in the various platforms to maintain patient care while protecting the safety of not only your patients but also your staff. We created a special resources page on our website devoted to COVID-19. We spoke with many pharmacists whose businesses didn’t have a drive-thru or delivery service when restrictions went into place earlier this year. They quickly adapted and offered patients curbside delivery and implemented community delivery. Pharmacies that already had delivery services worked to expand routes to cover more ground. Deliveries went beyond prescriptions, but also included over-the-counter items and other products. With features already included in their software, these pharmacies were able to shift gears and serve their communities with minimal disruption. The QS/1 COVID-19 Resources page recently added a weekly video update to keep pharmacies informed about the CDC’s progress of beginning COVID-19 vaccinations that will be administered by pharmacists. David Pope, Pharm.D., of OmniSYS and QS/1’s Ed Vess, R.Ph., director of professional pharmacy affairs, share the latest information they are getting from the CDC each week. QS/1 salutes all community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and the support staff in those stores who are going in each day making sure those in their neighborhoods are still getting the personalized healthcare they’ve come to expect. You are truly Paying it Forward and making a difference in your communities. You realize the impact your work has and now how critical your role is in the healthcare industry. The fact that the CDC is tasking pharmacies to deliver the first COVID-19 vaccines is validation of your importance. Editor’s Note: Do you know a pharmacy that is making a difference in their community – beyond filling prescriptions? We want to know about them. Email us their story at PayingitForward@ redsailtechnologies.com . Saluting All Pharmacies on the Frontline