New designs of UT’s pharmacies prove customer-friendly

October 22, 2010 | UToday
By Sarah Ritenour



Over the past year, The University of Toledo has provided face-lifts for both outpatient pharmacies that serve its students and employees.

The pharmacy at the Main Campus Medical Center increased in size by about 1,200 square feet, while the Health Science Campus Outpatient Pharmacy gained about 300 square feet.

Puffer

Puffer

Cindy Puffer, project manager for the renovations and coordinator of managed care pharmacy services at UT Medical Center, said the changes needed to be made because the volume of prescriptions in both pharmacies was growing rapidly and they were running out of room.

“Both pharmacies are now highly efficient. We have better storage, and we’ve increased the number of workstations,” she said. “We are able to handle the customers much better.”

The most important aspect of the new renovation is the patient consultation spaces, which allow pharmacists to talk privately with patients and increase privacy.

“We wanted to make sure there was enough space for everything that we do, including things we may want to do in the future,” Puffer said.

The professional teams in both locations were committed to expanding the services and offerings at each pharmacy.

Puffer’s contributions to UT and the patients were recognized recently as she was one of three alumni to receive awards this year for leadership skills and contributions made to the pharmacy or health-care fields. She received the UT College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Award for her work in overseeing the employee prescription benefit for the University.

The program is unique because it allows UT employees to have their prescriptions filled at its own pharmacies, thus saving the institution money while still providing excellent benefits to its employees.

“We are very proud to be able to provide a progressive pharmacy model to serve the UT students and employees,” Puffer said. “Receiving this award is extremely humbling.”

The other two recipients, Dr. Sharrel Pinto, UT assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Dr. Wayne Hoss, executive associate dean of the College of Pharmacy and professor of medicinal chemistry, were honored for their work in the pharmaceutical field as well; Pinto for her medication therapy management programs, and Hoss for his contributions in moving the College of Pharmacy to Health Science Campus.

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