Pharmacists' Roles in Establishing a Dispensary within a Coordinated Emergency Response to Support Afghanistan Evacuees in Philadelphia

ABSTRACT

Service or Program Operation Allies Welcome was a unified national humanitarian mission to support Afghanistan evacuees in the United States. The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania welcomed approximately 25,000 evacuees from Afghanistan between August and November 2021. This effort included a broad range of medical services including COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and setting up a medication dispensary. Our pharmacy team was tasked with establishing and operating a dispensary to dispense limited supply of medications to patients for non-life-threatening conditions as they were bridged to definitive care. The objective of this is to describe the pharmacists' role within this coordinated emergency response. Justification/Documentation This emergency response required that our pharmacy dispensary was adequately staffed and stocked with common medications for the target population. Our roles focused on establishment of standard operating procedures for the dispensary, dispensing medications, creation of a securely shared electronic inventory, creation of standardized staffing process, participation in vaccination efforts, and provision of drug-information. Overall, 1363 prescriptions, for both over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications, were dispensed. The dispensary stocked 82 different medications. Antipyretics, analgesics, antihistamines, prenatal vitamins, proton-pump inhibitors, and topical antibiotics were the most commonly dispensed OTC products. Frequently dispensed prescription medication classes included antibiotics, steroids, antiemetics, anti-diabetic and antihypertensives agents. We successfully leveraged the support of 66 volunteer pharmacists from 9 organizations around Philadelphia, including academic, hospital, non-profit, and pharmaceutical industry institutions. Adaptability This program has a high level of adaptability for future emergency preparedness efforts. It serves as a playbook to guide pharmacists to respond to future emergencies. Significance: Our service provided much needed pharmacy support for Afghan evacuees. Our practical experiences demonstrated that pharmacists can effectively create and implement a dispensary during emergent crises. Findings from our operation add to the limited literature supporting the importance of pharmacists in these coordinated emergency responses.