Baptist Health has opened a new high-tech Central Pharmacy Services Center in La Grange that is one of the first autonomous pharmacy centers in the country.
Baptist Health has invested $40 million in the 102,000-square-foot pharmacy services center, which serves as a medication hub for all nine hospitals in the Baptist healthcare system.
The space includes a warehouse optimized with robotic infrastructure to fill up to 14,000 prescriptions per 10-hour production shift. It also includes an office space where dedicated pharmacy staff will provide support to hospitals or directly with patients by working with insurance companies, drug manufacturers and patient assistance programs to secure patient medications at a more affordable price along with individualized medical counseling.
“We didn’t figure it out from the traditional designs. We went to industry experts in logistics and supply chain,” said Baptist Health CEO Gerard Colman. “We went to Amazon, our very own UPS right here in Kentucky, we went through all of these folks to find out what’s the best way for us to design and build the state-of-the-art pharmacy operation of the future.”
In addition to the health and economic impact, the Baptist Health Central Pharmacy Services Center will benefit local students. Baptist Health and Oldham County Schools are partnering to create a program allowing students to prepare for pharmacy technician certification at the Arvin Education Center while gaining hands-on training in the Central Pharmacy Service Center. Arvin Center juniors will begin by taking introduction to healthcare classes, students can then choose to focus on pharmacy as seniors and begin a work-study program with Baptist Health.
Jason Radford, superintendent of Oldham County Schools, said the unique educational opportunity will allow students to get a head start on a rewarding career in a growing field.
