ICHS Holly Park pharmacy recognized for exceptional service to the community
International Community Health Services (ICHS) Holly Park pharmacy team.
In March, the International Community Health Services (ICHS) Holly Park clinic pharmacy had the honor of being named a Top Clinic in OutcomesMTM State and Territory 2023 winners. This national award based on exceptional performance is one of the highest accolades that ICHS’ pharmacy teams have received yet.
This recognition shines a spotlight on ICHS’ pharmacy teams’ unique strengths, said Ju Hui Lee, ICHS Pharmacy Director.
“The award is a huge milestone in recognizing our patient care,” Lee said. “Our pharmacist, Hieu Tran, has done a tremendous job of reaching out to our patients to increase patient adherence, medication management, and counseling. He's really supercharged this program around for us. We've never made this list before and it's extremely difficult to do so, since all pharmacies are involved in Outcomes, so to make the top 13 is pretty amazing."
ICHS Holly Park clinic provides primary care, comprehensive dental, behavioral health, and many other services to over 8,500 patients. 62% of patients need interpretation services, a reflection of the diverse immigrant patient makeup at the clinic. With most of the patients Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin speakers, the pharmacy team have tailored their skills to meet their patients’ needs.
ICHS is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides integrated health services — where a team of providers work together to get patients the services they need. Language and cultural barriers pose challenges for limited-English-speaking immigrant families to receive the prescription medications they need. The Outcomes award spotlights how having a pharmacy team that provides multilingual, culturally-responsive care is so important, said Lee.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion wrote in the Healthy People 2023 report: “Prescription medicines are critical for managing many common diseases and disorders. When people can’t get the medicines they need, treatable conditions may get worse.”
ICHS Holly Park pharmacy manager, Hieu Tran, speaks with a patient at the pharmacy desk. The pharmacy is located steps away from the dental and medical reception, allowing patients easy access to filling prescriptions during their appointments.
The diverse, multilingual staff at the Holly Park Clinic meet patients where they are by having these conversations in the language the patient is most comfortable with. This provides many patients greater ease of mind, allowing greater opportunities for asking questions, sharing concerns, and reaching out to pharmacists knowing that they will receive comprehensive care.
This relationship is especially important around medications for anxiety and depression said Hieu Tran, manager of the ICHS Holly Park Pharmacy.
“The cultural stigma around mental health is a big hurdle for the Asian community,” Tran said. “Especially with hard conversations revolving around certain medications for anxiety and depression since these aren’t conversations that some communities are openly discussing. This also provides a unique opportunity for us to reach out and at least start the conversation and break down these barriers with our patients.”
Tran explained that at the end of the day, the Holly Park pharmacists simply try to do their best to serve patients. The clinic’s interdisciplinary structure allows pharmacists to consult with physicians and nurses to solve patients’ medical problems in as little as one visit. Their commitment and cultural awareness is what has made the Holly Park Clinic the example it is.
“I am very honored to be part of a team that works hard everyday to provide the best health care possible for our patients,” Tran said. “It may sound contradictory, but I think what makes us special is not thinking that we’re ‘special.’ To me, this means showing up to work daily and giving each patient the same level of care as any other clinic regardless if the population we take care of is underserved. This also means facing new challenges as a team and welcoming changes that come our way.”
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International Community Health Services (ICHS) on-site pharmacies are located at ICHS Holly Park, International District, and Shoreline clinics. ICHS is committed to providing quality health care to all, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Financial assistance to pay for pharmacy prescriptions is available to qualifying ICHS patients. Learn more at: https://www.ichs.com/services/pharmacy