Springmoor strives to provide our residents with the best possible services, and we collaborate with a select group of companies to help us achieve this objective. One of our primary partners is Medipack Pharmacy.
“It’s important to highlight the companies we work with so that residents and their families know more about why we choose specific vendors to meet resident needs,” says Brandon Hair, Executive Director of Springmoor. “We tend to develop relationships with smaller companies that provide us with highly personal services.”
Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Medipack specializes in providing pharmacy services to residents of life care retirement communities and other long-term care communities. Medipack delivers medications to Springmoor up to three times per day, Monday through Friday, once daily on Saturday, and provides emergency medication deliveries after normal operating hours and on holidays, 365 days per year.
“A critical aspect of our work is that we provide 24/7 services,” says Rick Whitesell, RPh, MBA, Medipack’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our pharmacists are available around the clock, and we provide medications 24/7.”
Medipack’s professional services go far beyond the fundamentals of ordering and dispensing medications. To help ensure that Springmoor residents who choose to utilize Medipack optimize their quality of life, Medipack’s pharmacists provide a range of complex clinical services designed to optimize medication selection, dosing, and monitoring.
In addition to these routine drug regimen reviews, the company also provides disease management, education, and training for healthcare professionals. Medipack offers vaccination services and actively participates in Springmoor’s quality assurance program.
As Medipack’s Director of Clinical Services, Sarah Weisner, PharmD. supervises and supports the team of pharmacists and nurses who work onsite at Springmoor and other communities and facilities offering long-term care. “We’re committed to providing cutting-edge clinical initiatives,” she says. “It’s my job to make sure we always bring the best programs and educational opportunities to our facility partners like Springmoor, so they can provide the best possible care to their residents.”
Long-term care is one of the most regulated industries in the United States. Medipack’s clinical pharmacists review patients’ charts each month to help ensure that all best practices are being followed. Sarah and her staff help facilities like Springmoor ensure they comply with all laws and regulations related to quality of care, as well as all state and federal guidelines.
“The logistics of delivering the correct medications to the correct resident in a timely manner is just the beginning,” Rick explains. “We take a lot of pride in helping each facility perform at the highest level for the communities and the residents. Residents and their families typically aren’t focused on compliance issues, but these things are all in the background to support them and make sure residents have the highest level of care available.”
Rick explains that the relationship between Springmoor and Medipack was formalized early in 2020. “When the pandemic struck, I was afraid the progress of the relationship would have to pause, but quite the opposite occurred,” says Rick. “We began providing services to Springmoor residents in April 2020.”
Especially in the early days of the pandemic, there was a lot of fear and uncertainty regarding the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines. Medipack was one of the first pharmacies to register with the state of North Carolina and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to provide the new vaccine. Sarah and her clinical team became registered and certified to administer the vaccine, and Springmoor was one of the very first customers they served.
When COVID vaccines first became available, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) prioritized administering the vaccine to those at greatest risk from the COVID virus, which included our residents here at Springmoor. “Medipack partnered with NCDHHS to assist with the paperwork and all other aspects of administering the COVID-19 vaccines,” Sarah says. “We were so appreciative that they included senior living communities in this high-priority group.”
On December 29, 2020, Medipack administered 1,200 vaccines in one day on the Springmoor campus, making us one of the very first communities in North Carolina to receive full vaccinations. Springmoor residents and staff were among the first 1% of people globally to have access to the vaccine.
Residents Cris Hoffman and his wife Judy moved to Springmoor in September 2020 as the pandemic raged. Cris speaks for many residents when he says, “One big benefit at Springmoor is access to COVID-19 vaccines onsite. We feel so fortunate.” At the time, the couple had numerous friends in their age group who were experiencing long delays in receiving the vaccination.
“The number of cards and thank-you’s we received from all over the country in response to our vaccine work was just incredible,” says Rick. “People were so grateful to have their loved ones vaccinated as early as possible. One of the best experiences of my career was being able to facilitate this service being provided to residents and their families.”
Medipack continued to build on this success. By the end of 2023, Medipack was providing vaccinations for Influenza, Shingles, Pneumonia, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) to the residents of Springmoor and the other retirement communities they serve.
“We like that Medipack focuses solely on clients like Springmoor who provide long-term care,” Brandon says. An added bonus is that the company is based in North Carolina.”
He continues, “We’re very excited about working with Medipack to establish our in-house pharmacy, which is scheduled to open in fall 2024. This new pharmacy is part of the current major renovation project at our Stewart Health Center, and it will serve residents in independent and supportive living as well.”
The new pharmacy will be Medipack’s first brick-and-mortar pharmacy located within a retirement community. Just as residents in Independent Living have the option of receiving primary care services at the Springmoor clinic or maintaining a relationship with their existing doctor, they can choose to use the Medipack pharmacy on campus or a different pharmacy.
“We recognize that when a person moves to Springmoor, they deserve to have all the services they need at their fingertips,” says Rick. “The adult children of residents have the same expectation. Springmoor has an onsite clinic. We seamlessly deliver any needed medications to the clinic to serve residents’ needs as conveniently as possible.”
Here’s an example of how the process works. A resident feels ill and visits the Springmoor clinic. The clinic staff give the resident a rapid flu test that comes back positive. The clinic doctor prescribes an antiviral medication. Medipack delivers any requested medications to Springmoor’s onsite health clinic, and Springmoor staff then provide it to the resident.
Medipack supports the clinic staff regarding medication compliance and provides multi-dose packaging as needed. They also interface with Springmoor’s electronic medical record (EMR) system.
The procedure for delivering a medication differs slightly depending on whether the resident lives in Independent Living, Supportive Living, or the Stewart Health Center. In every case, however, a clinical pharmacist screens all medication requests. “Our goal is to help Springmoor provide ultimate care to the residents and make it as convenient and seamless as possible for them to receive any type of pharmaceutical product they need,” says Rick.
Rick shares that, on a recent visit to the Springmoor campus, he met with Brandon and Debbie Sivnksty, Director of Nursing, and others. As he walked down the hallways, he noted that each member of the Springmoor staff knew every resident by name.
“That level of personal service and care is amazing at a community as large as Springmoor,” Rick says. “The service level at Springmoor is impeccable, and we want to be a part of that.”
Rick compliments the staff at all levels regarding their openness and accessibility that help make the partnership so effective and adds that the Springmoor staff has helped them become an even better pharmacy. “We’ve responded to the demands of our partnership with the community and provided an even higher level of services,” he says.
Sarah adds, “Springmoor is like a family. It’s incredible to watch and hard to put into words. We really appreciate that they’ve welcomed us into their family.”
Springmoor is a nonprofit Continuing Care Retirement Community offering seniors a variety of residence options that range from apartments to larger villas and homes. If you’re looking for an active senior living community in Raleigh, call us at 919-848-7080 with your questions.
You can also click here to fill out a short online form to receive a free packet of information or schedule an appointment for a personalized tour. Our friendly team looks forward to meeting you soon!
Are you interested in becoming part of Springmoor’s exceptional team? Visit the careers page of our website to view our current job openings and apply online.
