DID YOU KNOW that below the main level of the Civic Campus, resides an expansive facility equipped with a large team of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistants, and other support staff, who meticulously systemize and deliver critical medication for patients? In fact, there are hundreds of pharmacy professionals across all our campuses!
Almost every patient who visits our hospital needs the care of this vital team — whether their needs are fairly straightforward, like a bag of saline solution or their everyday prescription, to when they require more complex or even lifesaving medication.
Back in the ’80s, when these photos were taken, the team was much smaller than it is today and the process of dispensing and reviewing appropriateness of medications was done much differently. From typewriters (followed by computers) and manual paper files to cross check medications to a few nostalgic hair styles, these pictures are a reminder of how much has changed and how far we’ve come.
The team has not only grown in size over the years, but had to respond to a changing healthcare landscape — like when pharmacists transitioned from a central location to the clinical areas to work alongside patient care teams. Or when the pandemic hit, and the pharmacy team was in charge of the safe-keeping of vaccines that needed to be stored at -80℃.
Over the past century, the Civic Pharmacy has evolved from a basic apothecary to an advanced healthcare hub. It now uses cutting-edge technology like Epic software for precise medication dispensing, patient management, and data integration, alongside NAPRA standards for sterile compounding. This transformation has streamlined operations, improved patient outcomes, and increased accessibility — making the pharmacy a key part of community health.
Despite many on the team working mostly behind the scenes (or some might say underground — literally), their work could not be more critical to providing the very best care to our patients at every level.
