St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy staff continue to provide health information to patients on receiving their COVID-19 vaccines

St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy staff and volunteers provide COVID-19 vaccines and health information to “hard-to-reach” people who have been hesitant to receive a vaccine. Staff pharmacists Becky Mann and Yolanda Tolson- Eveans share stories of patients they have talked with and educated about the importance of receiving their COVID-19 shots. In some cases, folks were current pharmacy patients and asked if they would like to receive a vaccine and initially said no. After explaining the benefits, talking about their concerns and sharing information, several patients received their vaccine with a resounding, “Yes, please!”

In one instance, a patient accompanied a family member while he received his vaccine. Several weeks later, that patient decided to follow up with our pharmacy and came to receive his own vaccine. In another case, staff offered a patient a COVID-19 shot and discussed his concerns. At that time, the patient declined, but several months later when the opportunity arose, he had re-considered due to the positive conversation and helpful information our staff shared.

Many of our patients face barriers to receiving healthcare: transportation, information only provided in English and lack of internet to access resources. Our pharmacy consistently helps patients overcome these barriers. Through Uber Health, we can offer patients a free ride to and from our pharmacy. Our volunteer interpreters allow staff to engage with Spanish-speaking patients. We offer a variety of ways to sign up for an appointment and retrieve medications. We advertise our standing as a free public resource on several platforms.

Our vaccination clinics have increased awareness of our pharmacy. As the only free-standing charitable pharmacy in Wisconsin, we are not connected to or supported by any single healthcare organization. The more people who are aware of us, the more patients we can help and the healthier our community can become.

If health care assistance is important to you, please consider supporting our pharmacy with a financial donation. Reach out to Eric Fleming, Director of Development, at (608) 442-7200 x34 to discuss how an individual or business can assist with our pharmacy needs.