When Jeannie Barrett, PharmD, transitioned from her role as a pharmacist to director of pharmacy operations for Genoa Healthcare, she wondered if she’d get the chance to see her consumers again, especially those with whom she’d formed a close relationship.
Jeannie first met one of those consumers, Antonio*, in 2023, when she was working as a pharmacist for a Genoa pharmacy located within a Nevada-based behavioral health center.
The center serves people who are economically disadvantaged by their mental health status through services like crisis stabilization, therapy, peer support, psychiatry and primary care. They also provide necessities, like food and clothing, and connect their clients with transitional living situations.
Antonio, like many of the people the behavioral health center serves, was experiencing homelessness at the time. After a series of insurance challenges, he had to move out of his group home – where he received medication management to treat his substance use disorder – and into a homeless shelter. He rarely spoke, and, when he did, he expressed a lot of anger.
“He went from having someone ensure he was taking his medications when he needed them, to being completely on his own,” Jeannie said. “He was having a really hard time.”
The team at the behavioral health center put Antonio in touch with their on-site Genoa pharmacy team to help get him back on track.
Jeannie started by packing Antonio’s medication in Genoa CARE Packaging – the organization’s specialized, pre-filled pill organizers. The packaging features color-coded bubbles to separate medication by time of day and individually labeled and perforated bubbles to take doses on the go.
Jeannie, director of operations (left), pictured with Melanie, lead pharmacy technician (middle) and Ashley, pharmacist (right), during a recent visit at the pharmacy she used to work for in Nevada.
Most Genoa pharmacies are located directly within the behavioral health center where its consumers receive their care. This unique setting enables its team members to meet consumers where they are, so it’s easier for them to get — and stay on — their medications. It also helps them build relationships with center staff and providers so they can work to improve outcomes as one cohesive care team.
Jomie, a medical liaison for the behavioral health center believes Genoa’s on-site presence plays a pivotal role in their integrated care model and reduces gaps in care, particularly for the unhoused population.
“By offering convenient access to medications, Genoa addresses significant barriers such as transportation difficulties, lack of secure storage and limited access to traditional pharmacies – issues that often lead to missed doses or unfilled prescriptions,” she said. “And, in addition to dispensing medications, Genoa pharmacists provide personalized support through consultations, education and resources that empower clients to actively engage in their treatment.”
Jeannie started by having Antonio visit the pharmacy every morning to check out his medication for the day. “We could tell he really wanted to be better,” she said. “He was so diligent about his schedule and doing his part.”
After a while, Antonio started opening up. First by saying hello to the pharmacy team and then by telling them about his weekend and favorite kind of cookies.
“We just wanted to meet him where he was,” said Jeannie, sharing that the team began keeping Antonio’s favorite cookies at the pharmacy for his visits. “It all happened little by little.”
As Antonio’s recovery continued, he was offered a job at a resource center that serves people experiencing homelessness. He told Jeannie he felt ready to check out his medication for longer periods, so the pharmacy team started providing him with two weeks of doses at a time. When that went well, they worked up to a monthly supply.
In June 2024, Jeannie stepped into her new director of pharmacy operations role, where she began overseeing Genoa’s pharmacies in Nevada, California and New Mexico. When she first learned she got the job, she knew she’d have to say goodbye to Antonio and the other consumers she had grown close to at the pharmacy.
After a few months, she stopped by her old site to check in with the Genoa team and their center partners.
To her surprise, Antonio was there, too. He was looking healthier than ever and told Jeannie he had moved into a new apartment, bought a car and started sharing his story during group therapy to show others what was possible.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” said Jeannie, who credits Antonio’s recovery to his commitment and willingness to partner with his care team. “He was a part of the process and was open minded to the suggestions we had to get him back on track.”
In Jeannie’s new role, she gets to help even more pharmacies make a difference for people like Antonio.
“Seeing him again was really emotional,” she said. “I just kept congratulating him.”
*The consumer’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.
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