St. Mary’s Medical Center Upgrades to Advanced Pharmacy
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – With the opening of its newly renovated IV admixture pharmacy, St. Mary’s Medical Center offers its patients access to compounded medications in one of the safest and most highly regulated environments possible.
The pharmacy consists of specialty rooms designed for sterile compounding intravenous prescriptions. Accessible only to personnel trained and authorized for compounding activities, the rooms are sterilized and have the equipment present to help maintain a high quality area. Closed system transfer devices and biological safety cabinets can both mechanically prevent the transfer of environmental contaminants or drug vapors, helping to protect the hospital’s pharmacy staff, nurses and patients from potential exposure.
The pharmacy includes separate areas for personnel garbing, hoods to capture drug fumes and unique walls that can be cleaned continuously. The advanced environmental applications are designed to help prevent contaminations and prepare medications safely, providing optimal care for St. Mary’s Medical Center patients.
“Our modern pharmacy will help further our mission to deliver first-rate care in the safest environment possible,†said St. Mary’s Medical Center CEO Davide Carbone. “With these new features we intend to consistently provide high quality, contaminant-free medications for our patients.â€
The environment in the rooms, including pressure, humidity and air flow, are all carefully controlled. A HEPA filter sifts through the air with the goal of creating a particle-free atmosphere to avoid the entrance of particle and microbial contaminants.
Work surfaces and floors are cleaned and disinfected daily, along with ceilings, walls, storage and shelving units, which are also cleaned on a regular basis to help adhere to U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention guidelines and standards. Regulated, consistent testing is also done to maintain, isolate and eliminate concentrations of potential threats.
In addition, a pediatric compounding area is being developed to assist in preparing pediatric patient-specific oral dosages.
“About 20,000 doses were dispensed every day before the pharmacy was upgraded,†said Sheldon Lefkowitz, director of pharmacy at St. Mary’s Medical Center. “With the recent renovations, and by continuing to follow national guidelines, we expect to be able to take on higher volumes with the goal of making it easier and safer for our patients to receive the medications they need.â€
The $2 million renovation may also assist in reducing hospital readmissions by providing an easily accessible space for patients to receive their respective doses.