As Hurricane Florence bears down on the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina, there are a number of resources available to APCI member pharmacies to both prepare for the hurricane as well as to serve your patients before, during, and after the storm. Please see below for detailed information:

PrescribeWellness

All PrescribeWellness customers in areas that may be impacted by the storm are eligible to send emergency communications to their patients - for no additional charge, even if the pharmacies do not have PharmacyGrowth or PharmacyReach. Communications can be sent by voice, text, and Facebook. If your store is experiencing intermittent services or cannot record or execute campaigns for any reason, PrescribeWellness can send out a voice, text or a Facebook campaign on your behalf. If you would like to record messages in your voice in advance, there are some suggested scripts below.

Facebook is an easy way to notify customers with up-to-date information on changes in operations before/during/after the storm. PrescribeWellness has created templates that can be used on your pharmacy's page. Visit PW University to download templates for the storm, shelter locations and weather-related events that are ready to be customized and shared directly with your social media followers.

PrescribeWellness will have team members working over the weekend to make sure there are no delays getting requested campaigns out to your patients. Campaign requests can be made through all channels.

How to Contact PrescribeWellness:
Phone: 800.960.8147
Text: 830.215.0510
Email: support@prescribewellness.com
Social: https://www.facebook.com/prescribewellness/

Suggested Campaign Scripts

Advanced Weather Notice:
Hi, this is [First Name], your Pharmacist here at [Pharmacy Name]. My team and I would make sure you are prepared for the upcoming storm. Please remember to pick up any medications you may need before the storm. If you have any questions, please give us a call at [Phone Number]. Thanks, and stay safe!

Closing Early:
Hi, this is [First Name], your Pharmacist here at [Pharmacy Name]. I'm calling to let you know that due to the severe weather conditions, we will be closing early today. If you have any questions, please give us a call at [Phone Number]. Thanks, and stay safe!

Store Open:
Hi, this is [First Name], your pharmacist here at [Pharmacy Name]. We hope you and your family are safe. We want to let you know that we are open and here for your medication needs. Please call us with any questions at [phone number] or stop by the pharmacy. Thanks and hope to see you soon!

Store Closed Temporarily:
Hi, this is [First Name], your pharmacist here at [Pharmacy Name]. We hope you and your family are safe. We wanted to let you know that due to the damage from Hurricane Florence, we are temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience and will inform you once we are open and running again. If you have any questions, please call us at [phone number]. Thanks and hope to see you soon!

NCPA

NCPA is providing state-specific resources for pharmacies in the path of Hurricane Florence, including emergency refill laws by state, on NCPA's hurricane information page.

Pharmacies that sustain damage from any disaster may be eligible for a disaster relief grant from the NCPA Foundation. Eligibility information and applications are available at http://ncpafoundation.org/disaster-relief.shtml.

Rx Open

Pharmacies in affected states can check their status on the Healthcare Ready Rx Open pharmacy status map. Rx Open is an interactive map that helps patients and providers find nearby open pharmacies in areas impacted by disaster. The map will be updated daily through the hurricanes and response. If your status is not accurate or you want to enroll your pharmacy, please send an email to Healthcare Ready with your name, the name of the pharmacy and the NCPDP or NPI number for the pharmacy. For additional information specific to your state, visit your board of pharmacy website or Healthcare Ready.