dr. Idi Idiong - Remington House, 1993

Although their interactions are often brief, it’s the work behind the scenes that the 164 pharmacists at Bay Pines VA do that makes an impact on Veterans.

“No doubt about it, pharmacists are critical to health care,” said Chief of Pharmacy Dr. Idi Idiong, pictured above. “They make valuable contributions that help improve safe medication use, advance patient care and improve cost efficiency.”

Last year, the team provided 1.3 million prescriptions to Veterans across southwest Florida. This included 900,000 prescriptions to outpatients and 400,000 prescriptions to inpatients.

The team directly supports all of Bay Pines VA’s facilities, which include C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, Lee County Healthcare Center and seven VA clinics, in addition to the State Veteran’s Nursing Home in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Providing patients education about each medication

In addition to providing medication to Veterans, they are also difference makers in prescribing resources and supporting patient education about each medication prescribed.

“We’re experts on the thousands of medications, and we work to educate patients on how each medication works in the body and the way to use each one safely and effectively. We take this responsibility seriously because Veterans look to us for answers, and there’s nothing more rewarding than when we’re able to provide them with this important information to assist with their healthcare journey,” Idiong said.

When Idiong and her pharmacists are not educating Veterans, they welcome opportunities for increased responsibility in their personal and professional lives.

Proud of high score from Veterans

“We train eight pharmacy residents and several pharmacy students annually. Many of our pharmacists have earned advanced board certifications, which means they are highly knowledgeable in their practice area. This reflects such a strong commitment on their part to ensure Veterans receive the best care.”

Idiong added that her team’s commitment is making a difference and Veterans are letting them know. “From November 2022 through October 2023, we obtained a 92.4% trust score rating for outpatient pharmacy, which exceeded the VA national average. We are so proud of this score because it comes directly from Veterans. We are focused on increasing that this year because they deserve our very best.”