From left: Dr. Arif Muslim, chair of the hospital’s pharmacy and therapeutics committee, and gastroenterologist; NYS Sen. Bill Larkin; Shrilekha “Shirley” Tolat, pharmacy director; Allan E. Atzrott, hospital president and CEO; Bill Kaplan, hospital benefactor; and the Rev. Coleman Briggs, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Newburgh at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
By Brendan Coyne
St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital has created a new pharmacy department at its Newburgh campus that will ease the preparation of drugs, antibiotics and intravenous nutrition for patients. Hospital officials, employees and friends celebrated the new pharmacy on the third floor of the hospital with a ceremonial ribbon cutting Wednesday.
Shrilekha “Shirley” Tolat, pharmacy director, conducted tours of the 2500-square-foot facility that, she said, pulls together all elements of the pharmacy that had previously been separated. The new pharmacy provides a more efficient work environment with well-organized, increased storage space and advanced technologies to speed tasks.
Pharmacist Rosemary Mathew mixes an IV solution in the sterile environment of what is called a “glove box
Tolat said two clean rooms will enable pharmacists to prepare large batches of IV solutions. She described an automatic dispensing system using a computer that tracks medications for all patients, including dosages, and when they are administered. The pharmacy also has a computerized narcotic vault that monitors all activity.
Allan E. Atzrott, president and CEO of the hospital, said the new pharmacy is part of the final phase of recent renovations at the Newburgh campus. Other elements include reconstruction of the hospital’s lobby and renovations to the laboratory, ambulatory surgery and infusion therapy areas. The renovations are part the hospital’s HEAL (Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law) NY Program.
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