THOMAS, W.Va. – A new retail pharmacy for Tucker County residents is coming soon to Thomas.
The pharmacy is the newest addition to the list of services offered by Preston-Taylor’s Mountaintop Health Center located on the Cortland Acres campus.
“We are very excited to announce the addition of a retail pharmacy to our Mountaintop Health Center staffed by Dr. Ed Rader,” said Linda Shriver, CEO of Preston-Taylor Community Health Centers, Inc. “The new pharmacy will serve anyone in the community who needs a prescription filled. It will be located inside the health center, benefiting both our patients and all residents of the community.”
Shriver said the Preston-Taylor Community Health Centers Board of Directors and its’ staff have been working hard to secure a grant in order to restore pharmacy services in this area of Tucker County. Residents of Davis, Thomas and Canaan Valley were left without a pharmacy after Valley View suddenly closed its doors several years ago causing patients to drive to Parsons, Elkins or Oakland, Md. to fill a prescription.
An exact date for the opening has not been set, but Shriver said it would happen in February and that patients and community members would be kept informed of the status.
“When Mountaintop Pharmacy opens it will operate on the same hours as the Mountaintop Health Center,” she said. “We will continually reevaluate and may expand based on need and the response from the community.”
The pharmacy’s operating hours will be, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday; and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
Cortland Acres Administrator Beth Clevenger said that the long-term care facility’s staff is enthusiastic about having a retail pharmacy located next door.
“Our patients and residents will benefit from Mountaintop Clinic’s expansion of services and access to medications,” she said. “We serve a large population who require some type of prescription medication.”
Shriver said the expansion of primary care services was made possible from a federal grant Preston-Taylor Community Health Centers received from Health Resources and Service Administration. In addition to offering retail pharmacy services at the Thomas clinic, the grant included funding for behavioral health services.
“After we get this pharmacy set-up and operating, we will be adding a licensed clinical social worker to our staff,” Shriver said. “This person will provide on-site screening, brief intervention and counseling services to patients of Mountaintop Clinic, and our clinics at Eglon, Newburg and Mt. Storm.”
Preston-Taylor Community Health Centers currently operates a total of seven clinic sites in a four-county service area of north central West Virginia. It operates using patient fees generated as well as funding from the Department of Health & Human Services and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
In addition to Mt. Top Health Center, Cortland Acres’ campus in Thomas includes a 94-bed long-term care facility, outpatient rehabilitation services and independent retirement living at The Pines and Pineview Apartments.