The Apothecary, one of the University of Kentucky’s retail pharmacies, launched a new prescription delivery option for students and faculty on campus, said Erin Poteet, director of retail and community pharmacy services for the Apothecary.
This new option allows for an easier and more accessible way of retrieving your medications without having to leave your dorm or office, according to UK NOW.
Anyone can use the Apothecary, located on the first floor of the Gatton Student Center, but this new service will only be delivered to on-campus buildings.
“This whole pharmacy was meant to be helpful to campus,” Poteet said. “We have a lot of pharmacies that are more on the healthcare campus side, this is our first pharmacy that’s in the student center, it’s in a campus building, not next to a clinic.”
Poteet said they wanted to be innovative and cater to the campus community.
She said UK employees may be busy in their office and unable to get to the pharmacy, or students may only be home at certain times in between classes and may find it easier to have their prescriptions delivered.
Poteet said this new service allows campus goers to save an extra trip to the pharmacy.
Though the Apothecary is the only UK pharmacy offering delivery, UK students and employees can also transfer prescriptions from any outside pharmacy by speaking with a team member at the Apothecary.
“We can transfer from other pharmacies if this prescription delivery service is requested or if you’re going at Kroger or another outside pharmacy, we can transfer those prescriptions and start taking care of it here,” Poteet said.
She said they did a study and found that the university has the lowest prescription prices in Lexington if they are written by a UK provider.
“A lot of campus and students don’t realize that, so we wanted to have them be able to take advantage of that, but also in a way that’s easy for them to receive the medications,” Poteet said.
Ami Piccirilli, communications director for UK Pharmacy, said they have a list on their website where you can see the top 30 prescribed medications and their average copay. This allows UK Pharmacy users to compare the prices they are getting to other pharmacies.
“They’re the very best prices are for those who see a UK provider, but they’re good prices regardless, and the prices for the over-the-counter items are also better than most other places,” Piccirilli said.
Noble Eleazu, a UK junior majoring in computer science and Gatton Student Center building manager, said he currently uses the Apothecary and heard about this new service, but did not realize that it was also available to students on campus.
“If I am in need of getting some meds and I don’t have the time to be here, I’ll definitely use that service,” Eleazu said.
He said he thinks the service is something that will catch on and knows anything can happen, so having someone deliver your medicine if you’re not able to go into the pharmacy is a nice option.
Poteet said, though the delivery service was just launched a couple of weeks ago, it has been very popular.
She said the Apothecary put out cards about their new service in nearby buildings, and they are working on getting more information up on their website.
As of right now, the cut-off for same-day delivery is 2 p.m., but as business and demand increases, they will try to expand their services, Poteet said. The only thing they will not be able to deliver is controlled substances.
Students and faculty can sign up for the Apothecary prescription delivery service by filling out an online form at this link.
