Orlando Health debuts specialty pharmacy in Ocoee

Orlando Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to commemorate the opening of its newest facility, the Orlando Health Scripts Specialty Pharmacy. The pharmacy is located across the street from Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital at 1111 Blackwood Ave. in Ocoee and is Orlando Health’s first specialty pharmacy.

Specialty pharmacies play a vital role in helping patients with chronic or rare conditions acquire the complex drugs prescribed to treat their illnesses.

Patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease often require medications traditional pharmacies are unable to provide. These medications are harder to obtain, come at a higher cost, and can require intensive patient management and high monitoring to manage side effects. This new specialty pharmacy allows Orlando Health to continue to care for patients from across its healthcare system following a difficult-to-manage disease diagnosis.

“We began conceptualizing this pharmacy a few years ago, so to see it complete and ready to meet the needs of our patients is really exciting,” said Jennifer Williams, manager, Orlando Health Scripts Specialty Pharmacy. “This facility will allow us to better provide the needed complex medications for patients battling serious illnesses, teach them how to use these medications and find ways to reduce the financial impact of the costs of the medications.”

Fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, the specialty pharmacy will employ 10 team members, with plans to expand to 40 team members within the next few years.