St. Mary's Amsterdam opening community pharmacy

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10)- St. Mary's is opening a retail pharmacy. The St. Mary's Healthcare Community Pharmacy is currently only open to associates on the St. Mary’s benefit plan but will start accepting patients from most insurance companies beginning this summer, according to the hospital's website.

The pharmacy was built next to the St. Mary’s Amsterdam Family Health Center which opened in 2021, inside the St. Mary's Rao Outpatient Pavilion, 4950 State Highway 30 in Amsterdam.

Patients at St. Mary’s Amsterdam Family Health Center for Primary Care and Pediatrics, Urgent Care, and the St. Mary’s Tesiero Cancer Center will all be able to pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy before leaving the building once the pharmacy opens to the public.

St. Mary's Healthcare Community Pharmacy will also offer the following services:

• Easy transfers from other pharmacies
• Automatic refills on maintenance medications
• Prescription alerts and reminders
• Medication review appointments
• Quick and convenient refills
• Immunization history records and consults
• Drug interaction screening
• Nutrition and supplemental recommendations
• Adherence consults – pharmacists specialized in adherence consult on common high-risk conditions -blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes

"The entire Rao expansion project was designed to create a seamless patient experience, and the opening of the Community Pharmacy is the last piece in St. Mary’s newest expansion to create a one-stop patient experience for most healthcare needs," the hospital said.

The pharmacy will be accessible inside and outside of the building. It will also have a drive-thru option. St. Mary's will be holding a grand opening ceremony Monday, March 21 at 10 a.m. to mark the occasion.