Editor,

Fourteen months later, WhidbeyHealth has completed the new pharmacy that meets new USP-800 regulations for safe mixing of hazardous drugs.

These standards ensure a safe environment for pharmacy staff mixing chemotherapy/biotherapies as well as ensuring that medications are safely mixed for patients.

Larger hospitals with more than one pharmacy are able to continue mixing on site using another pharmacy while they remodel. Unfortunately, we needed to close our pharmacy for chemo, bio and immunotherapy drugs, and have them mixed in Bellingham and delivered to WhidbeyHealth daily.

There were extra steps taken to coordinate, and patient cooperation for people to get treatments, but worth every step to ensure our community could continue receiving infusions here. We know that, for many, it was a hardship with extra miles and time. We appreciate your graciousness and humor.

The MAC/Oncology clinic staff is happy to be able to treat patients on the same day as the oncologist’s visit again, and we did learn a few things over the past year to help us streamline and improve service as well.

Big thanks to patients and family members who were patient and flexible through these many months. We could not have accomplished this without your help.

Renee Yanke, ARNP, MN, AOCN, Drs Jiang, Wang and Sharma, and all of the clinic staff: Dawnelle, Lisa, Jackie, Jenn, Sue, Chris, Line, Anna, Dawn, Diana, Ana, Melinda, Eva, Amber, June, Marti, Danielle, Mindy, Ann.

WhidbeyHealth – MAC/Oncology, Coupeville