Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point (NHCCP), on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., recently renovated its pharmacy with a new robotic system.

"This is a better system for our needs; one that will help provide quality health care for our beneficiaries while decreasing wait times to have prescriptions filled," said Lt. Anthony Wyble, Medical Service Corp, and NHCCP pharmacy department head.

The renovations began the last week of September, and required a team effort from several NHCCP departments including the Information Management Department, facilities, pharmacy staff and a team from the manufacturer of the new system.

"It was non-stop for several days," said Cmdr. Marnie Buchanan, Nurse Corps and NHCCP director of clinical support services. "The old system had to be completely disassembled, connectivity needed to be established for the new system, storage shelves needed to be moved ... it was an all hands on deck evolution. We did have to suspend dispensing prescriptions for a short time, but now that the new system is up and running, our beneficiaries will really notice a difference in our service."

The new system consists of two robots, each capable of holding up to 200 different types of medications. When a prescription is activated at the drop-off window, these auto-filling robots begin the dispensing process which includes filling, labeling and placing a cap on the bottle.

For safety, each prescription is then verified by a pharmacist to ensure the exact medication, dosage and quantity is delivered to the right beneficiary.

Along with new narcotic filling and refill processing areas, new shelving has allowed the pharmacy to increase inventory. The addition, the centralized checking station for pharmacists will increase the processing time and allow for greater interaction with patients.

"A project of this magnitude usually takes six months to a year of planning and three to six months to execute," Wyble said. "Our pharmacy staff, with the support from command leadership and multiple departments, was able to accomplish the entire renovation with only three months of planning and four days to complete tear down and installation."

"No one likes to wait for their medicines when they are sick," Wyble continued. "Fortunately, here at NHCCP, our wait times were never too terribly long as we have a smaller population than many other military treatment facilities. With this new system, patients will continue to get their medicines quickly and be on their way to recovery."

Named after Medal of Honor recipient, Pharmacist Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point provides high-quality patient care to more than 33,000 active-duty members and DOD beneficiaries. It is the only Naval Health Clinic on the East Coast offering same-day surgery. NHCCP also offers Medical Home Port (including family care and pediatrics), Internal Medicine, Orthopedics, Physical Therapy, Mental Health, Pharmacy services, Preventive Medicine, Aviation Medicine and Radiology to include MRIs.


For more news from Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point , visit http://www.navy.mil/.