Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) welcomes Kara Yates, PharmD. to serve as the Pharmacy Manager at Bristol Community Health Center Pharmacy (formerly known as Twin City Medical Center).
The Pharmacy Manager is responsible for everything in the pharmacy by making sure we follow all laws/regulations every single day.
Yates said, “It is my job to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and efficiently while taking excellent care of our patients.”
Yates comes to SVCHS with a vast background of experiences to share with her patients. She graduated from The Appalachian College of Pharmacy in 2016. Yates is a native to Southwest Virginia and is from Coeburn, VA. After graduating, she worked at Walgreen’s Pharmacy.
She said, “I grew up about an hour away from Bristol in a very small town. Most of my family had lived in Bristol at one point or another, and they thought it would be a great place start out. I received a job offer from Walgreens for the Tri-cities area, so I wanted to give that advice a try! I knew that I wanted to work retail pharmacy because I love meeting new people, and I wanted to be able to impact as many people as possible. Becoming a part of SVCHS was a dream come true. Being able to provide more one on one care is truly more impactful, and is such a blessing to me.”
Yates knew from a young age that she wanted to work as a pharmacist.
She said, “When I was about 6 years old I learned the word ‘pharmacist’ and that you visited the pharmacist for the magic pills to feel better. I knew that I wanted a career that helped people, and especially one where I had the chance to help everyone to feel better, have a better quality of life, and be happy. From then on I knew that I was meant to be a pharmacist so that I could help as many people as possible!”
A typical day at the pharmacy for Yates usually starts with a little bit of paperwork/filing and catching up on emails. Followed by filling a few prescriptions, and reaching out to a few of our patients who may need a refill on a medication or need followed up with from a telephone encounter for those patients that are new/interested in the pharmacy, then she usually speaks with a few patients throughout the day, fills prescriptions and ensures each medication is safe and correct for each patient, file paperwork/prescriptions, complete to-do list tasks (i.e. check refrigerator temperatures/room temperatures to ensure my medicines are safe, check-in and put up medications received in the order for the day, and clean/organize).
She has a Fiancé named Tyler and a very handsome Black Labrador Retriever named Hank. The couple loves traveling, camping, amusement parks, and anything outdoors.
If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to directly to BCHC Pharmacy at 276-644-4489 or stop by and visit the next time you are receiving services at Bristol Community Health Center.
