COVID-19 exposure at Madigan pharmacy limits hours, causing long delays for medicine
After a worker tested positive for COVID-19, the Madigan Army Medical Center’s pharmacy closed early nearly every day this week, due to staffing shortages.
The drive-thru pharmacy stopped accepting patients at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, just 90 minutes after opening, because it reached its daily capacity for filling orders. The pharmacy also closed early on Aug. 11 and 13.
Staff members who came in contact with the person diagnosed were screened for COVID-19 and immediately quarantined. The pharmacy has reduced its hours, for the time being, causing patients to wait in line for four to five hours during peak times. Lines have been so long, customers say port-a-potties were installed along the drive-thru route.
Officials said the pharmacy plans to resume regular hours next week after the quarantine period ends for staff. The pharmacy has been open only to drive-thru patients since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Madigan public affairs officer Jay Ebbeson said there was no concern about exposure to patients. In a post on its website, Madigan said the pharmacy has extensive processes, including cleaning and sanitizing items that patients might come in contact with, which reduces the risk of a staff member transmitting the virus to a patient.
Sharon Losey arrived in the drive-thru line at 5:38 a.m. on Wednesday to pick up her husband’s medication. She says they tried to pick it up the day before when they were at Madigan for an appointment, but the pharmacy gate was closed by 1 p.m.
Losey waited in line at the pharmacy for 5 hours and 23 minutes. She had nothing to eat or drink because she only expected to wait the usual 1 to 2 hours for her order.
“What broke my heart was the elderly people having to use the port-a-potty,” Losey said. “Our most at-risk population using these facilities because they have to get their medication. It’s just wrong.”
Losey and her husband are both retired. She said while waiting in long lines is inconvenient, she’s lucky she has the free time to do it.
“When my husband was deployed, if I had an issue, the military said, ‘Figure it out.’ So why aren’t they doing the same?” Losey said. “Every day this continues to be a problem, more people are going without medication they might need to survive.”
Ebbeson said people are encouraged to use retail pharmacies or enroll in TRICARE’s pharmacy home delivery service.
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 5:05 AM.
