New pharmacy locker opens at Kaʻū Family Health Center

A new pharmacy locker is expanding access to medications in one of Hawaiʻi Island’s most rural communities.

On Friday, the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center held a blessing ceremony and open house for its newly installed pharmacy locker at the Kaʻū Family Health Center in Nāʻālehu.

The secure, self-service pharmacy locker will reduce travel time, transportation barriers, and delays in care for patients in Nāʻālehu, who often have had to drive 40 to 50 minutes away to access pharmacy services.

“Improving access to medicine is critical to improving health outcomes here on Hawaiʻi Island,” said Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center CEO Richard Taaffe. “The Nāʻālehu pharmacy locker now expands access to medicine for our patients in the most rural area with the largest care gaps.”

Installed inside Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center’s Kaʻū Family Health Center, the locker system offers patients secure, confidential access to their prescriptions at flexible pickup times, with the ability to speak to a pharmacist via teleconference through the locker should the need arise.

The lockers are managed by the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center’s in-house pharmacy team, with medications issued from the pharmacy in Keʻaʻau. The locker features a refrigerated section capable of safely storing temperature-sensitive medications, such as insulin.

Dr. Milton Leslie, Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center cultural hui member and senior director of experience, led the blessing ceremony that honored the community partnership, integrated care model, and cultural values that guide the center’s mission of providing quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all.

Dr. Melissa Bumgardner, director of pharmacy services, presented a live demonstration of the locker and invited patients to ask questions and enroll in the service.

“The challenge of accessing prescriptions disproportionately affects elders and working families managing chronic conditions, and we hope that the new locker will help to reduce this burden,” she said.