This week's Care Corner Blog is a patient story shared to us by our clinical pharmacist, Carolkim Huynh, who recognized that while her patient was stable in her condition, she wasn't feeling stable in other areas of her life. Like many pharmacists at Shields, Carolkim built a trusting relationship with her patient to assist her with more than just her condition and medications, which their patients need, especially during the pandemic. Here's Carolkim's story:
"One of the best parts of my job is impacting my patient's lives every day by getting to know each one individually and helping them manage their chronic conditions, and ensuring their quality of life is maximized through mental, physical, and community support. I called a stable transfer patient to introduce the patient to our services and get to know her medication routine. Upon speaking with the patient, I noted that even though she is doing well from a condition standpoint, she was not mentally or physically doing well.
After developing a relationship with her, I eventually asked if she would like me to look into available mental health support options, which she was ecstatic to hear. After researching her options, I sent her a list of mental health providers covered under her insurance and let her know I would reach out to her provider to update her.
Thankfully, our team connected her with a therapist, but a couple of weeks later, the patient called me back to let me know she is going through some tough times with COVID-19 and was struggling to afford her medication and finances.
Knowing she was struggling to afford her medication, I worked with our pharmacy team and her liaison to get her medication co-pays waived. We were also able to connect her with Expensify Hunger and HealthWell Foundation, which provided her with additional financial support.
The patient again expressed her gratitude for the level of care and safety we provided. What was remarkable about this story was that individuals in various roles at Shields and our other partner sites came together to use our diverse expertise to contribute to this patient's quality of life collectively."
