An ordinance was introduced at the City Council meeting Monday night, Jan. 10, to amend Ordinance No. 64 of 2001 by changing the zoning classification of property described as follows: Lot Southeast Corner Of Isadore Drive And Keyser Ave. Shown As Lot “A” On Plat I Map Book 1, Page 587, Less 0.098 Of An Acre To Highway Department. (601 Keyser Ave.)

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center CEO Kirk Soileau explained that this ordinance will allow the hospital to expand its public pharmacy (601 Keyser Ave. at the NRMC Multispeciality Clinic). The new pharmacy will open within the next 30 days by giving them the capability to operate 24 hours a day (drive-thru only).

Currently, there’s no 24-hour pharmacy between Lafayette and Shreveport.

The pharmacy will benefit the hospital and its patients by covering the ER after hours and “Med to Beds” patients. When patients are discharged from the hospital their prescriptions can be sent over electronically to the pharmacy, so they’re filled and delivered to the patient’s bedside before they go home. This helps increase patient compliance, so the hospital can decrease readmissions.

It will be open to every insurance plan that is typically taken through a pharmacy plan.

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