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Pharmacies in Charlottesville and the surrounding communities are facing many of the same stressors as other industries — high demand, staffing struggles, and other pandemic pressures. In response, some pharmacies have been forced to cut back hours or customer-service levels. However, the UVA pharmacies have managed to overcome those challenges using teamwork and a focus on the patient to keep their doors open and deliver top-notch care.

“I am so incredibly proud of our team right now,” says Justin Vesser, PharmD, Director, Pharmacy. “We have the fortune to have the most talented, patient-focused technicians and pharmacists in the country, and they have been shining brightly during this tough time. It would be easy to focus just on survival right now, but I see our folks going the extra mile to serve others every day.”

Vesser has been working alongside the team members who serve patients and has seen many incredible moments.

“One of our pharmacists discovered a patient had an urgent need for replacement supplies for insulin monitoring after a device failed,” Vesser says. “The pharmacist smashed down every barrier until the patient had fresh supplies in their hands.”

The list of examples goes on: From a technician who spent hours on the phone with a patient to reduce his copays from $2,000 to something he could afford to the Meds to Beds team that has been busier than ever.

“I’m leaving out many who have done just as much work to make our pharmacies strong, but I can’t state enough how proud I am of this team,” Vesser says.

Vesser also believes that working through stressful circumstances for the last two years has paved the way for a brighter future.

“I wish we were immune to these tough times, but we’ve struggled to overcome staffing challenges, COVID infection and quarantine, and supply-chain issues” he says. “However, our teams have worked very hard to support each other so we can meet our obligation to the patients we serve without interruption. When I see how our team, along with everyone else in the health system, are working together, it makes me feel very hopeful and confident about the future.”

Thank you to the pharmacy team members for your hard work and dedication. You are so appreciated!