Health Center no longer retrieves
Chelsea Eakin
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Starting this year, the Garrison-Foster Health Center is no longer delivering prescriptions to the pharmacy and bringing the medications back for students to retrieve on Mayflower Hill. Students are now required to drop off and pick up their own prescriptions at the pharmacy in town.
"The determining factor was safety and legality," Dr. Paul Berkner, medical director of the health center, said. He explained that by having the health center handle the retrieval of prescriptions, there was potential for error since students could feasibly pick up prescriptions that might not be their own. "All we were doing was acting as a pass through-it's a risky situation, if you take the prescription down yourself then you know that it's yours." He explained that the health center wanted to make sure students got all the information they needed about their prescriptions, and that it was "just not feasible to do it here."
In addition to safety and legality concerns, the health center had a number of issues with student prescriptions never being picked up. Since students pay for their medication only once they receive it, the health center was left to pick up the cost of the abandoned prescriptions. "It was a logistical nightmare at times, now students will be paying directly," Berkner said.
Some students complain about having to find a means to get into town and visit the pharmacy. Sarajane Blair '10 said, "I think the fact that prescriptions won't be brought to campus anymore is a real inconvenience for students, even the ones with cars. It should be a students right to obtain prescriptions at a campus health center." Of the student opposition, Berkner said, "This is their obligation to get their prescription on their own-that is part of the process." He noted that the Jitney, the student shuttle service, is available most days from either 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to take students specifically to the pharmacy. The health center also has taxi vouchers available, which will charge the taxi fare directly to student accounts.
The health center is continuing to administer vaccines, such as the cervical cancer vaccine GARDASIL, which it will continue to pick up from the pharmacy for students. The health center carries a number of routine medications, as well as birth control pills and Plan B, and students can receive them directly without having to visit a pharmacy. "We will continue to have these and do not have any plan to stop them," Berkner said.
"The determining factor was safety and legality," Dr. Paul Berkner, medical director of the health center, said. He explained that by having the health center handle the retrieval of prescriptions, there was potential for error since students could feasibly pick up prescriptions that might not be their own. "All we were doing was acting as a pass through-it's a risky situation, if you take the prescription down yourself then you know that it's yours." He explained that the health center wanted to make sure students got all the information they needed about their prescriptions, and that it was "just not feasible to do it here."
In addition to safety and legality concerns, the health center had a number of issues with student prescriptions never being picked up. Since students pay for their medication only once they receive it, the health center was left to pick up the cost of the abandoned prescriptions. "It was a logistical nightmare at times, now students will be paying directly," Berkner said.
Some students complain about having to find a means to get into town and visit the pharmacy. Sarajane Blair '10 said, "I think the fact that prescriptions won't be brought to campus anymore is a real inconvenience for students, even the ones with cars. It should be a students right to obtain prescriptions at a campus health center." Of the student opposition, Berkner said, "This is their obligation to get their prescription on their own-that is part of the process." He noted that the Jitney, the student shuttle service, is available most days from either 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to take students specifically to the pharmacy. The health center also has taxi vouchers available, which will charge the taxi fare directly to student accounts.
The health center is continuing to administer vaccines, such as the cervical cancer vaccine GARDASIL, which it will continue to pick up from the pharmacy for students. The health center carries a number of routine medications, as well as birth control pills and Plan B, and students can receive them directly without having to visit a pharmacy. "We will continue to have these and do not have any plan to stop them," Berkner said.
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