Health

Upstairs Healthcare: KMCC Satellite Pharmacy continues to serve

Story & photos by Senior Airman John Foister
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
October 28, 2022
A patient is serviced at the KMCC Satellite Pharmacy at Ramstein Air Base, Oct. 4. Modernizations to storage, automation systems, and processes has increased the speed and quality of service at the satellite pharmacy.

Since opening its windows in early 2022, the KMCC Satellite Pharmacy has expanded its hours and garnered excellent reviews from satisfied customers. Being located directly at the center of the KMCC means any TRICARE beneficiary able to shop at the Base Exchange can grab a bite to eat at the food court, or catch a movie while they wait for their prescription to be filled.

“[The] workload has increased, but then again, so has patient satisfaction,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Arturo Silva Sanchez, 86th Medical Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of the KMCC Satellite Pharmacy.

Medication sits in a container at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center Satellite Pharmacy at Ramstein Air Base, Oct. 4. Since opening, the satellite pharmacy has increased access to care in the Kaiserslautern Military Community by 20 percent.

“It’s a 20 percent increase in access to care since this satellite pharmacy opened,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Alex Dudash, 86th Medical Support Squadron director of operations for the KMCC Satellite Pharmacy. “We’re particularly highlighting servicing the swing shift folks by being open until 6 p.m.” Expansion of the hours to Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. allows swing shift workers greater access to prescription refills. The satellite pharmacy also remains open during family days and training days, when the main clinic may normally be closed.

Additionally, the satellite pharmacy has made upgrades to improve processes such as new categorization systems and improved storage, to make them easier for patients. These improve both speed of service as well as patient safety. Off-base prescriptions are also accepted at the satellite pharmacy.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Arturo Silva Sanchez, 86th Medical Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center Satellite Pharmacy, loads bins of prescriptions into a medication storage system at Ramstein Air Base, Oct. 4. This system is part of modernization upgrades that help the satellite pharmacy run as efficiently as possible.
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