USDA Visits, Blogs About Minnesota Outpatient Telepharmacy

The Daily Globe out of Worthington, Minn. writes about the USDA's state director of Rural Development, Colleen Landkammer visiting the Adrian telepharmacy with Senator's Al Franken's representative to congratulate the community and talk up telepharmacy's benefits for rural communities:

Sterling Drug pharmacist Bryan Hagen (right) explains new telepharmacy procedures to (from left) Rep. Tim Walz staff member Matthew Wohlman, USDA Rural Development director Colleen Landkammer and Sen. Al Franken representative Nate Arch during a presentation of a rual business enterprise grant Tuesday afternoon in Adrian.

Hagen said the telepharmacy project has worked well thus far.
“We understand the importance of healthcare access in rural Minnesota,” he said, adding that the telepharmacy is “just what we need” to keep service in small, rural communities. Since the Sterling Drug Telepharmacy debuted, Hagen said he has received calls from other communities interested in the concept, from Fulda to Winnebago.

The USDA also subsequently blogged about it, saying:

“The telepharmacy was a unique and cost-effective way for Adrian to provide access to the services of a local pharmacy,” said Colleen Landkamer, USDA Rural Development State Director. “City officials recognized the need for a local pharmacy to remain in town and took immediate actions to make it happen.”
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“Sterling Drug is happy to be able to bring back pharmacy services into Adrian,” said Bryan Hagen, a pharmacist at Sterling Drug in Worthington. “The telepharmacy model is a great way to keep healthcare in smaller communities where accesses to those services are important to the communities.”