Dr. Michele Evink MS, PharmD
Director of Pharmacy Services Clarke County Hospital
You may have heard of infections related to a compounding pharmacy named NECC (New England Compounding Centers). This presents a perfect opportunity to reassure everyone about the safety of the products Clarke County Hospital supplies to our patients.
Clarke County Hospital pharmacy has never ordered anything from NECC. As our pharmacist, I take great care in selecting where our medications come from. Upon researching the company, I found they did not meet the quality standards I expect from our suppliers. Consequently, none of our patients are affected by this recall.
We do order compounded injectables from one source, PharMEDium. That organization is fully registered and inspected by the FDA. I’ve reviewed their documentation and they take extraordinary measures to ensure the safety and sterility of their products. Their dedication to safety is central to their processes. This aligns with Clarke County Hospital’s commitment to patient safety.
Our pharmacy does compound some injectable products. To keep our patients safe, we follow very strict standards. To achieve this, we compound these products in a specially designed and certified hood. When we need to make an injectable, we mix medications based directly on patient orders and don’t batch anything ahead of time. Then, we follow strict guidelines for storage and stability of those products to keep our patients safe.
Our patient’s safety is at the forefront of everything we do at Clarke County Hospital. I’m proud of everything each employee does every day to keep our patients safe.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me via email at mevink@clarkehosp.org or by phone at 641-342-5322.