Event

Waterfront Pharmacy Grand Opening

Pharmacy Director Megan Reynolds (3rd from right) cuts the ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the Waterfront Pharmacy at The Chautauqua Center location in Jamestown. Helping Reynolds open the new location are, from left to right, State Assemblyman Andy Goodell, The Chautauqua Center CEO Michael Pease, State Senator George Borrello, Jaqueline Chiarot Phelps from U.S. Congressman Tom Reed’s Office, County Executive Paul J “PJ” Wendel, and Zach Altschuler, executive assistant to Mayor Eddie Sundquist.

November 3, 2021 – The Chautauqua Center (TCC), a nonprofit healthcare facility, cut the ribbon on the Waterfront Pharmacy and opened the location to the general public during a recent grand-opening ceremony at 107 Institute Street. The Waterfront Pharmacy now offers the same prescription service to the community as it provides to TCC patients. Common over-the-counter medications and free delivery are also available.

The grand opening of the Waterfront Pharmacy is a celebration of nearly three years of preparing the Jamestown location to fill 340b medications, process standard prescriptions, and provide common over-the-counter meds seamlessly, in real time, and on site. The Chautauqua Center plans to duplicate these same amenities in Dunkirk with the construction of the new facility at 75 E 3rd Street.

“After overcoming several challenges during the past three years, we are able to bring all of our pharmacy services on-site and give our current and new patients a seamless experience. In the past, some patients would have to wait a day or more for their medications. Now, we can supply and dispense those medications in house in real time and patients will be able to pick up their prescriptions in one trip. We continue to offer free delivery of prescriptions throughout the community in a timely manner,” Pharmacy Director Megan Reynolds stated.

Reynolds continued, “We will have traditional and clinical pharmacy services during all of our operating hours. Our pharmacists will fill prescriptions, lead our pharmaceutical team, and answer questions and concerns from patients and customers. We are beyond excited to offer these services to care for our community.”

Pharmacy Director Megan Reynolds (4th from the left), her staff, and officials cut the ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the Waterfront Pharmacy at The Chautauqua Center location in Jamestown.

Pharmacy Carve Out Looms

Despite the good news for The Chautauqua Center, a measure that is still in place at the state level could harm the future of community health centers that rely on 340b program savings. The 340b program allows community health centers to buy many common prescription medications at a significantly reduced cost, using those savings to provide additional patient services.

Called the pharmacy carve out, former Governor Andrew Cuomo created a way for New York State to keep the savings from the 340b program for the state’s bottom line. Due to COVID-19, the State Legislature held off the governor’s plan, postponing it until April 2023.

The carve out is still scheduled to happen, so community health centers like the Chautauqua Center have rallied together to call on New York State to repeal it once and for all.

Due to the 340b program, the Chautauqua Center is able to fund services like providing free rides to appointments, managing chronic disease care, providing in-house multi-lingual translation, delivering medicines to patients at home, assisting with copays, and more.

The Chautauqua Center and other community health centers welcome help from anyone who wants the carve out to be repealed. Please visit the Community Health Centers Association of New York State at chcanys.org for more information.

The Waterfront Pharmacy and pharmacist hours are Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To contact the pharmacy call (716) 483-4334 ext. 1333 or press number 4 in the main menu; fax (716) 484-4164. Visit the Waterfront Pharmacy page for providers and more information.

Pharmacy Director Megan Reynolds (4th from the left) and her staff cut the ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the Waterfront Pharmacy at The Chautauqua Center location in Jamestown.