River’s Edge Pharmacy San Diego Infusion Center – Open House
November 13th, 2019 marked the opening of the RE Pharmacy Infusion Center of San Diego. And in true RE style, an invitation-only grand opening was held to showcase the new facility. Included in the list of notable attendees were:
- Neurologist Dr. Ian Purcell, MD, PhD – The SENTA Clinic®
- Neurologist Dr. Monali Patel, MD – The SENTA Clinic®
- John-Michael Li – Head of Neuromuscular Diseases at Scripps Neurology
- Sandeep Soni – Mission Infectious Disease and Infusion Consultants of San Diego, CA
- Guest speaker Dr. Bob Geng (Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego, CA)
The event featured a variety of unique beers and wines, courtesy of Ian Roberts – RE Pharmacy’s Specialty Account Executive. RE-branded sugar cookies were provided by Mary’s Sweet Treats (Instagram @Maria-Canales-14). And catering was provided by The Wild Thyme Company of San Diego .
Dr. Bob Geng expressed his sentiments for the new infusion center when addressing the crowd. “This is truly and amazing place,” said Dr. Geng. “I’ve seen a lot of infusion centers and specialty pharmacies where I’ve had to walk around boxes and hazard zones and I felt I needed a hard hat. After looking at this facility, I wouldn’t feel like I’m having an infusion.”
Ian Roberts also spoke. “I am stoked to see this project come to fruition,” Ian stated. “We have a visually gorgeous Infusion Center in a brilliant central location in San Diego. It’s yet another step in RE Pharmacy’s serving the needs of the San Diego community…and beyond.”
“I’m truly impressed by what you guys put together here.”
– Dr. Ian Purcell MD, PhD., The SENTA Clinic®
The new infusion center is located inside the medical building at 7625 Mesa College Drive in San Diego. It shares the second floor with Neurologist Dr. Ian Purcell MD, PhD., boasts 3,100 square feet of open space, and includes many amenities for patients and staff.
At first glance, one might assume this infusion center is a large living room. The main area is comprised of three black leather, heated, massage reclining seats. Accompanying each chair is an ARLO device – RE Pharmacy’s Digital Media Center. The ARLO device features a 31” interactive tablet screen with streaming educational content and media, specific to the practice. Part of this interactive experience includes a virtual human body which the patient can view, rotate, and zoom into. This feature allows doctors to explain any particular illnesses to the patient in a 3-dimentional environment, providing a more illustrative learning experience.
Additionally, the ARLO digital media center is mounted with a 10” tablet device connected to a free dedicated WiFi network specifically for RE Pharmacy infusion patients. Patients will be able to surf the web, as well as stream their favorite movies and television shows via Netflix. Also provided for free are RE Pharmacy roll-up blankets and pairs of ear buds for the patients’ taking.
Adjacent to the main infusion area is a private VIP suite, available for patients upon their request. This quiet room is ideal for patients with children, or patients who simply want to nap during their infusion session.
Adjacent to the main infusion area is a private VIP suite, available for patients upon their request. This quiet room is ideal for patients with children, or patients who simply want to nap during their infusion session.
In addition to the main infusion area, the center includes a reception desk, three exam rooms, storage room, and admin office. A fully furnished kitchen is provided, complete with snacks, microwave, table and chairs, a food refrigerator, and temperature-controlled medication refrigerator.
These luxuries are compliments of RE Pharmacy as part of their efforts to make patient infusion sessions as comfortable (and memorable) as possible. And thanks to the combined efforts of the RE Pharmacy team, the grand opening event was a notable success.
Jennifer “Lizzie” MacDonald leads the PATH – Patient Healthcare and Wellness Program at River’s Edge Pharmacy. As a patient with multiple chronic conditions, Lizzie has first-hand experience with navigating the complex health system.
Throughout her journey, she has become impassioned with sharing her knowledge and serving as an ambassador for patient independence, wellness, and recovery. This not only lead to patients’ relief and comfort, it has provided an opportunity for doctors to utilize a patient advocate for more effective and time-saving care in their practices.
Lizzie is an outspoken supporter of creating community through support groups as well as through the invaluable connection of one-on-one interactions for patients who are managing chronic/complex illnesses. Through her efforts, she has emboldened patients to share their ideas, goals, and triumphs, as well as live life to the fullest, regardless of their condition(s).
Lizzie is also a contributing author to River’s Edge Pharmacy’s News and Articles
