Abstract
After military base closures in the immediate San Francisco Bay area, the availability of non-cost prescription medications to eligible retirees through military medical facilities was greatly reduced. Of the seven major military installations in this region in the 1990s, only Coast Guard Island, Alameda remained. Consequently, prescription volume at the Coast Guard Alameda Pharmacy increased 70% between July 1997 and December 2002. The increased prescription volume made significant demands on pharmacy resources, necessitating (1) an expanded formulary; (2) more storage space in the prescription processing area, (3) increased operational efficiency; and (4) enhanced patient privacy measures. Pharmacy renovation was required to meet these demands. The renovation process involved a step-wise approach that included justification/approval; renovation design, the establishment of a temporary pharmacy, and the reestablishment of services in the renovated pharmacy.
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