Healthy Living Pharmacy

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Rickelle Keeps Things Super Friendly in the Pharmacy

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Rickelle in the Healthy Living Pharmacy (photo by Jennifer O'Donnell)

Rickelle in the Healthy Living Pharmacy (photo by Jennifer O'Donnell)

Meet Rickelle! Rickelle is Healthy Living’s newest Pharmacy Technician, and she has been working here for about seven months. She mostly works with our inhalation patients, including checking in with them regularly to see if they need refills on their supplies. Rickelle also works with new pharmacy patients to help them begin receiving prescriptions from Healthy Living Pharmacy, ensuring that each new patient has a smooth and successful transition.

Rickelle believes that it is extremely important to build relationships with her patients, and it shows. She makes each conversation and interaction with her patients memorable, pleasant, and cheerful. This wonderful woman is very caring and will always go the extra mile for Healthy Living patients to make them feel comfortable and valued.

Describing the philosophy of the Healthy Living Pharmacy team, Rickelle says, “The most important thing for the patients to know is that we care about their privacy and convenience, and we work to save them a trip to the pharmacy by delivering their package to their doorstep, free of delivery charges.” She also explains that she and the pharmacy team create easy transitions for pharmacy transfers and, “For any of our patients who need refills, we will contact the doctor for them.”

Outside of work, Rickelle loves spending time with her one-year-old daughter, Serenity, and her six-year-old son, Jamal. Summer is a wonderful time for Rickelle and her family because they love getting outside and playing at the park! On Sundays, Rickelle and her kids devote their time to church and family.

Rickelle explained, “What I like most about working at Healthy Living is that everyone is all about teamwork and they're all friendly! They are very serious about their work and also making sure that patients are satisfied at the end of the day.”

We are so thankful that Rickelle is part of our team!

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Living with COPD: 7 Strategies for Better Management

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You may be familiar with COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic lung disease that gets worse over time. This disease damages the airways in the lungs and leads to shortness of breath, impacting work, exercise, sleep, and other everyday activities.

Even if you are living with COPD, you can still maintain a high quality of life. Try making some changes or careful choices based on these recommendations so you can stay active and continue enjoying your life while managing COPD.

7 Strategies for Better COPD Management

Use each link to delve into details about the subjects below. Information and links come from the American Lung Association.

1.      Protect Your Lungs: Since your lungs are weaker when you have COPD, learn how to reduce exposure to anything that could make your COPD worse (like smoking) or could cause an exacerbation or flare-up.

2.      Be Thoughtful about Nutrition: Many people are surprised to learn that the food they eat can affect their breathing. The right mix of nutrients in your diet can help you breathe easier.

3.      Be Intentional with Physical Activity: When you have COPD, the right amount and type of exercise can have many benefits and is important for staying healthy.

4.      Learn to Cope with Emotions: Find ways to get emotional support and learn to recognize and handle feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, or stress.

5.      Make a Plan: Use the American Lung Association’s COPD management tools and resources.

6.      Manage Lifestyle Changes: Follow the steps at this link to manage the lifestyle changes that COPD brings.

7.      Plan for Your Future with COPD: Discuss some important points about your future care with your doctors and caregivers.

How Is COPD Treated?

Physicians work closely with their patients to select the best treatment options for managing COPD. Treatments may include medications, rehabilitation, or surgery. Since each person’s COPD is different, a variety of medications can be used to create the best plan to address an individual’s symptoms and needs. Benefits of taking the right medication at the right time include:

  • Breathing better
  • Being able to do more of the things you enjoy
  • Having fewer flare-ups or exacerbations

Learn more about COPD treatment.

Inhalation Medications from Healthy Living Pharmacy

If you are taking medications to manage your COPD, try working with Healthy Living Pharmacy to obtain your prescriptions with concierge-level customer service and free shipping to your home. Call 866.779.8512 (Option 4) to speak with a pharmacist! 

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A Switch to Healthy Living Pharmacy Will Help You Live Better: Learn Why

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Have you found the best pharmacy for you?

Does your current pharmacy provide these services? Consider these questions and learn how Healthy Living Pharmacy can help in every situation:

  • Can you easily consult with your pharmacist and ask questions about medications?

How we help: Healthy Living pharmacists have knowledge, expertise, and time to listen to understand your situation and answer your questions thoroughly.

  • Do you have to wait in line for your prescriptions?

How we help: Healthy Living Pharmacy provides home delivery at no cost so you can avoid lines and stop making multiple trips to the store, which is especially advantageous for people who are extra busy (most people these days) or for those who have limited ability to leave home safely.

  • Are you looking for pharmacists and pharmacy techs who know your name and understand your individual needs?

How we help: The Healthy Living Pharmacy team is made up of three women – Mira, Grace, and Rickelle – who create connections with patients and become familiar and friendly voices to give you personal attention. 

  • Is it difficult for you to contact your physician for prescription refills and other concerns?

How we help: Healthy Living pharmacists will contact your physician’s office or insurance company for you when there are questions about your prescription, your coverage, or you need a refill.

  • Do you have a chronic condition that requires monthly medication refills?

How we help: Healthy Living Pharmacy offers automatic refills at the customer’s request and is always ready and flexible to make changes to the order when needed.

How Independent Pharmacies Stack Up

In a Consumer Reports survey of more than 33,000 consumers, independent pharmacies outranked all national retail pharmacy chains and mass merchandisers in terms of:

  • Overall satisfaction
  • Speed and accuracy
  • Courtesy and helpfulness
  • Pharmacist’s knowledge

We think you will feel the same way when you try Healthy Living. Learn more at our pharmacy webpage or call us today at (866)779-8512 (Option 4) to meet our pharmacists and learn about what makes Healthy Living Pharmacy different.

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Healthy Living Pharmacy Grows to Provide Inhalation Medications

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Taking Care of Your Inhalation Prescriptions

Great news! Did you know that Healthy Living Pharmacy has broadened its services to include inhalation medications? The main reason that inhalation medications are prescribed is to address symptoms of COPD, a disease characterized by increasing breathlessness. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory (non-reversible) asthma, and some forms of bronchiectasis.

Our Goals

Healthy Living Pharmacy does things differently to give customers the best possible experience. Unlike most retail pharmacies, Healthy Living has an insurance verification team who can help maximize your insurance benefits. We work with your insurance plans on your behalf to help you get the best possible cost savings for your inhalation prescriptions.

The Healthy Living Pharmacy team is focused on helping you stay compliant with the plan of care that you and your doctor have created and specialized for you. To help ensure you never run out of your medications, Healthy Living will call or text you with refill reminders, and we accurately deliver your prescriptions to your door in a timely manner.

Signs & Symptoms of COPD

COPD affects an estimated 30 million individuals in the U.S., and over half of them have symptoms of COPD and do not know it. Major signs include:

·        Increased breathlessness

·        Frequent coughing (with and without sputum)

·        Wheezing

·        Tightness in the chest

Risks & Causes of COPD

COPD most often occurs in people 40 years of age and older who have a history of smoking. These individuals may be current or former smokers. While not everybody who smokes gets COPD, most of the individuals who have COPD (about 90% of them) have smoked. Primary risk factors and causes include:

·       Inhaling pollutants, including smoking (cigarettes, pipes, cigars, etc.) and second-hand smoke.

·       Being exposed to fumes, chemicals, and dust found in many work environments.

·       Having certain genetics, even if the person has never smoked or has never been exposed to strong lung irritants in the workplace.

Early screening can identify COPD before major loss of lung function occurs. Go to drive4copd.org to take a five-question screening test to see if you may be at risk for COPD. More importantly, talk to your doctor to be screened and understand your risks more fully.

We’re Here to Help

Contact Healthy Living Pharmacy at (866)779-8512 (Option 4) for help with managing your inhalation medications and making the most of your insurance benefits.

Resources:

http://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/What-is-COPD.aspx

http://www.drive4copd.org/

WE LOVE TO HELP.

  • Call us @ (866)779-8512 or text us @ (248)577-9903.
  • Reach us through online chat at myhlms.com.
  • Sign up for the Healthy Living Blog at myhlms.com/subscribe.
  • Check out our online store at store.myhlms.com for accessories and over-the-counter medications.
  • Visit myhlms.com/providers to electronically complete and sign prescriptions for patients.