Preparing for Hurricane Season
The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season is upon us and expected to be more active than normal, according to weather.com. The Atlantic hurricane season started June 1 and runs through the end of November. Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, calls for 18 named storms, eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes. A major hurricane is one that is Category 3 or higher (115-plus-mph winds) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale1.
At AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, we have a robust hurricane preparedness plan to get patients the medicine they need before a hurricane hits. Caring for our team members and helping ensure their safety during hurricanes or other emergency scenarios is also a priority for us – if our team members aren’t cared for, then neither are our patients. Having locations across the country allows us to shift work, whether it’s blizzards in the winter or hurricanes in the summer.
Here is an overview of how AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy prepares for hurricane season each year.
1. Planning and Monitoring
We monitor weather 24/7 across the country to assess any impact to states we ship to as well as facilities where we are located. We proactively reach out to patients in potentially affected areas via phone, text and email to mitigate risk and delays in therapy. We also work with our parent companies – Walgreens and Prime Therapeutics – to coordinate patient needs. For example, AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy proactively works with patients’ insurance companies to fill prescriptions early and deliver them before the hurricane. Our leadership regularly reviews business continuity plans and creates scenarios for both pre- and post-storm operations at all our sites.
For locations that may be potentially impacted, we schedule delivery ahead of the storm and partner with our shipping carriers to confirm shipping for patients. We work with alternate sites that are not in the path of the storm to continue business as needed in the event there is an impact to any of our locations. We also prepare our sites for any potential impact, including checking backup systems and ordering supplies.
2. A Proactive Approach
In our command centers, our team members constantly monitor storm paths and levels of severity by tracking via NOAA and The Weather Channel. We are able to route our call traffic to our other facilities, and we proactively identify potential delivery risks and build response plans. If severe weather has the potential of impacting a site or prescriptions, teams from across our organization meet on a regular basis to assess the situation and implement them when and where help is needed. As you know, hurricanes can shift and change, so we prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
3. Contingency Plans Are Important
Our plan focuses on getting patients their medicine. We have the ability to text or call patients – whatever the patient’s preference for being contacted – and we find the closest Walgreens to where they are. We have relationships with FedEx and other couriers. Because ours are life-saving medications, we receive the highest shipping priority over non-urgent delivery orders. If a pharmacy is damaged or closed, we rely on our other locations for fulfillment of prescriptions and send out via FedEx for next-day delivery. We have facilities that perform similar tasks, so we can shift work as needed to meet the needs of our patients at any time under any circumstance.
4. After the Storm
After the hurricane, we reach out to patients again to determine if they have moved, so we can make sure they receive their medicine at their new location. We also regularly review business continuity plans and create scenarios for both pre- and post-storm operations at all sites.
At AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, our leadership team continually monitors all kinds of situations to help our patients get the maintenance and life-saving medicine they need. From hurricanes to wildfires to winter storms, our operations team is making sure we are ready and able to take care of our patients’ needs.
1 weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2021-04-13-atlantic-hurricane-season-outlooks-april-twc-csu
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