Please join us in celebrating Elizabeth Melena, Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), and Nursing Care Coordinator at Golden Valley Health Centers in Merced, CA. Elizabeth is Equiscript's Site Champion Spotlight for April!
Site Champions play a significant role in the success of Equiscript home delivery pharmacy programs across the country. They serve as the primary point of contact between the Equiscript team, providers, and patients. Site Champions are super-organized, super-involved superstars who carry out the tasks necessary to make a successful pharmacy program.
Golden Valley Health Centers began as a "hospital-operated migrant health program." It became a non-profit corporation in 1973 and has since grown substantially, with twenty-eight sites serving over 125,000 patients each year.
Elizabeth Melena has been with Golden Valley for ten years, serving in different roles. Her most recent role being, Nursing Care Coordinator, which she says is a "win-win" because she gets to work with a great group of nurses and also gets to work directly with patients, which she loves.
Equiscript Client Relationship Manager for Golden Valley, Vivian Suarez, said, “Elizabeth is a huge supporter of the Equiscript program. She goes above and beyond to make sure patients are getting their medications and staying on the program. Elizabeth also trains new staff members on the Equiscript program. She always stays so positive and is just great to work with!”
In light of the current healthcare environment, we asked Elizabeth how the Equiscript home delivery pharmacy has been for them in the present climate. Elizabeth said, "During this unfortunate time of chaos and uncertainty, home delivery is even more important because people are afraid to or unable to leave their homes. It has been great, and I believe even moving forward, we will see home delivery used more and more within the health care organizations."
For other Site Champions, Elizabeth's advice is to, "remember a pharmacy is a pharmacy, whether it be a local, mail order, or home delivery pharmacy. All should be treated as equally important. It is our responsibility as health care workers to ensure that our patients are receiving those medications in a timely manner and educating them on the program. Keeping in mind the ultimate goal: Making sure our patients are taken care of. I always say, treat your patients as you would your family member."
Site Champions help to ensure that patients get the best quality service and that they get their medications when they need them - which keeps patients happier, healthier, and more compliant with their healthcare. Thank you, Elizabeth, for being a top-notch Site Champion!
