For many of Venice Family Clinic’s patients, taking the medicine their clinician prescribed isn’t as simple as picking up a prescription. Cost, transportation challenges, insurance delays and complex health needs create barriers that can make something as basic as filling a prescription feel impossible.

Having an in-house pharmacy makes it possible for Venice Family Clinic to remove many of those barriers—ensuring that no patient is left without the medications they need to maintain their health. In 2024 alone, the pharmacy filled more than 64,500 prescriptions across two locations: one at the Chuck Lorre Rose Avenue Health and Wellness Center and another at the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center.

“Ensuring that our patients have medication access isn’t only about filling their prescriptions—it’s also about helping them solve problems,” says pharmacist-in-charge Trevor Oelrich. “Every day, we’re actively making sure patients can not only afford the medications they need to stay healthy but also know how to use them properly.”

Coordinated care that keeps patients safe

One of the biggest differences between Venice Family Clinic’s pharmacy and a retail pharmacy is its high level of coordination with clinicians. The pharmacy team works as an extension of a patient’s care team—ensuring that treatments are safe, effective and seamlessly integrated into their overall health plan.

This collaborative approach makes a critical difference in patient safety by:

• Aligning specialist and primary care treatment plans: Venice Family Clinic’s pharmacy team plays a critical role in ensuring that medications prescribed by different clinicians work together safely. By tracking which prescriptions are actually filled, identifying potential conflicts between specialist and primary care treatment plans, and preventing duplications, the pharmacy team provides an added layer of oversight. This coordination reduces the risk of adverse interactions and ensures that every patient’s medication regimen is as effective and safe as possible.
• Preventing dangerous drug interactions: Every prescription is reviewed to ensure it doesn’t conflict with other medications a patient may be taking.
• Providing hands-on patient education: Our pharmacists take the time to make sure patients understand what they’re taking, how to take them properly, and how different prescriptions could interact with one another.
• Leveraging advanced clinical expertise: All Venice Family Clinic pharmacists have residency training and advanced practice certifications, making them uniquely qualified to handle complex medication needs and troubleshoot issues in real time.

Beyond coordination, Venice Family Clinic’s pharmacy ensures that affordability and access never stand in the way of our patient’s journey to better health. The pharmacy team breaks down barriers by:

• Making sure medications remain affordable: The team leverages federal funding sources to lower costs for our patients. In 2024, the Clinic filled more than 3,100 prescriptions for free for nearly 800 uninsured patients thanks to these programs and grants. The team also collaborates closely with case management to help eligible patients get insurance whenever possible, so they have a sustainable path for access.
• Expanding access through home delivery: The pharmacy delivers medications for free within a 15-mile radius of our location on Rose Avenue, ensuring that patients with transportation barriers can still access their prescriptions. Last year, the team completed 534 no-cost medication deliveries, eliminating a critical barrier to care.
• Ensuring seamless vaccine access: Without an in-house pharmacy, patients would need to visit an outside pharmacy for vaccines instead of receiving them during their appointments. At external pharmacies, patients can encounter unnecessary denials or other complications. By offering vaccines on-site, Venice Family Clinic ensures patients can stay up to date on immunizations without added hurdles.

A pharmacy that patients can trust

At some retail pharmacies, the biggest barrier isn’t cost—it’s stigma. Patients experiencing homelessness, addiction or complex medical needs often face extra scrutiny and roadblocks when trying to access care.

“If someone has been turned away or made to feel like they don’t belong, they’re less likely to seek care at all,” says Oelrich. “We want our patients to trust us and to know that they’re always welcome here.”

SUMMIT case manager Martha Meza has seen firsthand how the Clinic pharmacy team’s collaborative, trust-building approach makes a difference for her patients.

“If a patient with substance use disorder runs into an issue at a retail pharmacy—whether it’s a prior authorization, an insurance lapse or a missing refill—they usually get turned away without their prescription,” says Meza. “Having an in-house pharmacy team that is truly committed to our patients makes all the difference. That’s why so many SUMMIT patients stay in long-term recovery.”

That’s exactly what happened for Robert*, a patient of Venice Family Clinic for over a decade, when he became uninsured because of a clerical error. After dedicating years to his health and sobriety, Robert found himself in crisis when he was unable to fill his prescription for Suboxone, a medication that supports his recovery.

“I’ve worked so hard to stay in recovery,” Robert says. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. The thought of going into withdrawal was terrifying.”

Without support, Robert would have been forced to find Suboxone on the street—an expensive and dangerous alternative. Instead, he got support from our pharmacy staff, who immediately reached out to his clinician, secured an emergency supply of medication and connected Robert with our case management team to navigate the insurance appeal process. “I’ve seen our pharmacy team help like this so many times. They make sure our patients don’t fall through the cracks,” says Meza.

More than prescriptions, a path to stability

For patients facing financial hardship, chronic illness or unstable living situations, the ability to access and manage their medications can mean the difference between crisis and stability, between uncertainty and hope. By removing the biggest barriers to care—cost, logistics and stigma—Venice Family Clinic’s pharmacy offers patients the security of knowing that no matter their circumstances, they have a team that will fight for them.

“Our mission is to ensure that no patient has to choose between their health and their basic needs,” says Olerich. “Everyone deserves access to the medications that keep them well, and we work every day to make that a reality.

*Name changed for privacy.