Schnucks, St. Johns Hospital partner to open pharmacy in Springfield, Ill.

Leaders of Schnuck Markets, Inc. have announced a partnership with St. John’s Hospital to open full-service stand alone pharmacy with emphasis on specialty pharmacy operations in the hospital’s pavilion facility. This new pharmacy is replacing the specialty pharmacy inside the company’s Montvale store at 2801 Chatham Road. (The traditional pharmacy at the Montvale location will remain.) According to Schnucks Pharmacy Supervisor Dave Chism, R. Ph., this will mark Schnucks Pharmacies’ first stand alone specialty pharmacy in Illinois. “Specialty pharmacies are designed to offer additional personalized pharmacy services to patients living with chronic disease conditions often times requiring hard-to-source medications,” says Chism. “This may include those living with HIV, Hepatitis, auto-immune disorders, cancer and multiple sclerosis as well as those recovering from organ transplants and other conditions that require special medication therapy.” “Often the medications that treat these conditions are expensive, require special storage conditions and need prior approval from insurance providers,” adds Chism. “Schnucks understands this and offers several services to assist these patients.  The pharmacies work hard to coordinate benefits and care between the patient, physician and insurance provider.” In addition, Chism says the new 2,000-square-foot location will also serve St. John’s patients and staff as well as the general public and will offer delivery service. “The pharmacy, and room delivery service, will make the patient experience easier and more convenient,” said Ginger Ertel, St. John’s director of pharmacy. “Patients will have the option of leaving the hospital and going straight home without stopping to get prescriptions filled.  In addition, patients who do not have prescription coverage and qualify for 340B pricing will be able to receive their prescription at a reduced cost.”