Going Above & Beyond for Patients
Sometimes, life happens. Floods, hurricanes, ice storms and unforeseen events occasionally threaten to come between patients and much-needed medications. HealthDyne employees have a special understanding and compassion for people living with complex, ongoing conditions. When the unexpected happens, expect us to go above and beyond for our patients.
“Obstacles are sometimes unavoidable, but they don’t stop us,” says Joe Fleischman, Director of Pharmacy. “That’s especially true when it comes to patients living with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, an inherited disease. These patients depend on Prolastin, a drug that treats and helps prevent lung problems resulting from their condition.”
This winter, shipments of Prolastin at our Lakeland, FL pharmacy were ready to go out the door but, inexplicably, our shipping partner did not arrive that day. Mary Dean, Fulfillment Supervisor, took immediate action, loading the packages into her car for the nearly 100-mile roundtrip between Lakeland and the Tampa airport. “We act as an extension of the client team, working toward a common mission with the same dedication,” explains Mary. “I knew that Prolastin absolutely had to reach our patients and we made it happen.”
In most cases, it’s the weather that is unpredictable. When it gets ugly, the staff gets creative. A bitter winter storm in 2021 shut down the State of Texas and the shipping hub in Tennessee. “In the storm-affected area, we knew there were patients who needed a vital antibiotic as part of their treatment for chronic disease,” says Lindsay Turner, Account Manager. “The antibiotic is used to treat abdominal infections and patients who do not have it when they need it face hospitalization and even death.”
Lindsay immediately identified the patients impacted and came up with a plan. “Our pharmacy team quickly packed the medication and arranged an express critical shipment,” she says. “Packages were strapped into their own seats on a commercial flight.” Lindsay spent her weekend monitoring every package to ensure all medications were successfully delivered by UPS drivers who personally picked up the packages at the airport and drove them to patients’ homes.
The team’s determination makes all the difference. When a massive storm swept through the Southeast US in February 2022, next-day air shipments were cancelled. Alternative delivery options were put into place for a national client that provides therapy that is absolutely vital for their patients. During their planning, the HealthDyne team identified an order for a patient near the Lakeland pharmacy. Joe Fleischman decided to hand-deliver the order to the clinic, whose staff gratefully stayed late to accept the critical delivery.
None of this is unusual, according to Joe. “There are little miracles here every day,” he explains. “Pharmacists and pharmacy techs stay late for urgent needs and we ship out orders that arrive after deadlines if we can. Across the team, our connection to patients and our compassion in serving them runs deep.”
