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Valley View opens public pharmacy

Staff Report

Typically when patients are released after a hospital stay, day surgery or visit to the emergency room, they must stop at a pharmacy on the way home. Valley View Hospital’s pharmacy director, Mark Russo, wanted to save them the trip and help make the transition home easier.

Now after a visit to Valley View, patients can fill their prescriptions and learn how to manage medications before leaving the building.

“Our staff has the ability to deliver prescriptions to the bedside for check-out as patients are getting prepared for discharge home,” said Margie Phelan, The Pharmacy at Valley View’s retail pharmacy manager.



“I think providing access to a retail pharmacy within the walls of the hospital not only helps ease our patients’ transition back home,” said Phelan, “but it also deepens Valley View’s commitment to patient-centered care.”

“I think providing access to a retail pharmacy within the walls of the hospital not only helps ease our patients’ transition back home, but it also deepens Valley View’s commitment to patient-centered care.”

Margie Phelan
retail pharmacy manager, The Pharmacy at Valley View

In addition to helping patients fill prescriptions and understand their medications, the pharmacy staff can also provide immunizations. The new pharmacy waiting area includes a private room where patients may consult with pharmacists confidentially about their care, and the staff is working to build an over-the-counter space that will stock items needed for recovery that can be difficult to find.



“Whether a patient of the hospital or a member of the outside community, patients can bring in everything they’re currently taking, and we can look and make sure there are no dangerous drug interactions, duplicate therapies or link a possible side effect to a medication source,” Phelan said. “Sometimes, these conversations lead to a patient bringing up other concerns, like how the use of a certain prescription is becoming cost-prohibitive. In these cases, there are options. Sometimes we can find a manufacturer copay assistance card, if the patient meets the qualifying criteria, or in other cases we work with providers to find a cost savings alternative for the patient.”

A dedicated parking space is reserved for pharmacy patients at Valley View’s main entrance. Pharmacy hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. On weekdays, the pharmacy closes for lunch from 1-1:30 p.m. For more information, email thepharmacy@vvh.org or call 970-945-2202.


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