JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va., –
The McDonald Army Health Center pharmacy introduced 60 restaurant style pagers to better help with long lines and wait times June 15, 2020.
The pagers expand the pharmacy’s threshold for the number of patients it can serve on a daily basis. The inside lobby holds 12 patients and up to six can be at the windows at any given time, along with 60 patients with pagers.
“The main pharmacy has to change its operations because as the military begins to open up the clinics, we still have to maintain social distancing and the number of people in one area in response to COVID,” said U.S. Army Maj. Travis Whiteside, McDonald Army Health Center, chief department of pharmacy. “The pharmacy has a conundrum with how to accommodate curbside service. We are excited to start using restaurant style pagers. Patients with pagers can go to the commissary or other appointments while waiting to be called.”
On a busy day, patients could be waiting up to an hour and a half in line at the pharmacy. With the use of devices that can page up to a mile away and page multiple times, patients are free to go to other appointments on post or go shopping while still being in line at the pharmacy.
For more information, call the McDonald Army Health Center Pharmacy at 757-314-7900.