Pills in 20 seconds, care in any language: Technology transforms Eastern Iowa Health Center

CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents in Cedar Rapids’ Wellington Heights and Mound View neighborhoods regained nearby pharmacy access with the grand opening of a new facility at Eastern Iowa Health Center last week.

Eastern Iowa Health Center is turning to technology and new lines of service to expand access to care, improve patient outcomes and strengthen its long-term financial footing.

The nonprofit federally qualified health center that provides care for disadvantaged Iowans has rolled out a full-service pharmacy with automated dispensing machines, real-time video interpretation in dozens of languages and blister-pack packaging systems designed to help patients safely manage complex medication regimens.

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This fall, it plans to open a four-room urgent care clinic, followed in January by a vision center.

Taken together, leaders say these additions represent a strategic effort to address critical gaps in community health care while also creating revenue streams that can sustain the organization in an increasingly competitive environment.

Pharmacy innovations

The most visible innovation is the health center’s new pharmacy, at 400 12th St. SE in Cedar Rapids. The pharmacy opened in late July after years of planning and fundraising, and features state-of-the-art automated dispensing technology.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting event was held Thursday.

One of its centerpiece machines — among the first of its kind in the United States — can automatically count, bottle and label prescriptions for 84 of the most common medications, including antibiotics, blood pressure drugs and non-opioid pain relievers. What once required several minutes of a pharmacist’s time now takes just 20 seconds.

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The robotic pharmacy automation system offered by McKesson Canada uses two robotic arms to fill, photograph, label and sort prescriptions by patient. The pharmacy is one of three in the country to use the advanced equipment.

“The machine increases efficiency and accuracy, but just as important, it frees our pharmacists to spend more time with patients,” said Aaron Sackett, the center’s pharmacist in charge. “We serve many patients who don’t speak English, so explaining how to take insulin or manage blood sugar can be time-consuming. Technology allows us to shift focus toward that critical patient education.”

To further support patients, the pharmacy has installed video interpretation systems that connect staff with live translators in hundreds of languages within seconds. Last year, patients at the center spoke 46 different languages.

“The interpreters pick up non-verbal cues, too, which is especially helpful when teaching someone how to use a medical device,” Sackett said.

The pharmacy also offers innovative packaging systems. Machines create either blister packs or pouch-style “pill packs” that sort and package medications into clearly labeled compartments by date and time of day. Each packet is labeled with instructions and can even include reminder notes, such as prompts to take medication at a specific time, reducing the risk of missed or incorrect doses.

Health center officials said this can be life-saving for patients managing complex regimens or multiple chronic conditions, and is particularly beneficial for patients in nursing homes, group homes or others who may struggle with medication management.

“These tools ensure patients take the right pill at the right time,” said Joe Lock, president and CEO of Eastern Iowa Health Center. “Instead of missing medications for days, they might only miss a few hours. That can mean better control of diabetes, blood pressure and other chronic diseases.”

Lock said an anonymous donor covered the roughly $500,000 cost to purchase the robotic machines, including the packaging and dispensing equipment.

EIHC has also partnered with SafeNetRx, an Iowa-based nonprofit that redistributes unused medications, to provide certain prescriptions at no cost to patients.

Expanding access with urgent care

The pharmacy’s lobby will soon double as the entrance for the health center’s new urgent care clinic, set to open in November. The clinic includes four exam rooms and point-of-care testing for conditions such as flu, strep throat and COVID-19.

As with many health systems, staffing shortages delayed the launch. Nearby hospitals and private practices have been competing for nurses and medical assistants, with some facilities hiring hundreds of staff for new expansions. But the health center has now hired providers and support staff, and expects strong patient demand once doors open.

Urgent care will provide relief for the center’s family medicine division, where same-day walk-ins often create scheduling bottlenecks.

“We’re all about access,” Lock said. “Urgent care gives patients another entry point so we can take care of them without delay.”

Just as importantly, urgent care is expected to generate revenue.

“Urgent care is a profit center. Pharmacy is a profit center. The vision center is going to be a profit center,” Lock said, helping the center balance its mission of caring for everyone, regardless of ability to pay, with the need to remain financially sustainable.

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Preparing to launch vision services

A vision clinic is slated to open in January, further rounding out the center’s integrated care model. With Medicaid covering one annual eye exam and a pair of glasses, the service is expected to meet high demand — especially given that nearly 70 percent of the health center’s patients are Medicaid eligible.

“Everybody has eyes, and everybody needs eye care,” Lock said. “This is another example of how we can meet a community need while building financial stability.”

Responding to a pharmacy desert

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The center’s expansions also are a response to local gaps in care. The closure of a Hy-Vee grocery store and pharmacy on First Avenue last year left many residents without nearby options for prescriptions or fresh food.

“Over 2,000 of our patients had used that pharmacy in the year before it closed,” Lock said. “When it shut down, it created both a pharmacy desert and a food desert.”

Planning for a new pharmacy was already underway before the Hy-Vee closure, backed by a $60,000 needs assessment conducted in early 2022. But the shutdown underscored the urgency.

“The assessment results made you want to cry or pull out your checkbook,” Lock recalled. “The need was overwhelming.”

Eric Gutschmidt, president of the Wellington Heights Neighborhood Association, called the development “fantastic news” for the community, which has struggled since Hy-Vee closed its pharmacy.

“When the Hy-Vee closed down, there was a lot of anxiety,” Gutschmidt said. “Especially in one of the most mobility-challenged neighborhoods, having a pharmacy within walking distance again is a huge win.”

The city and community groups organized rides and resources to help residents after the closure, but Gutschmidt said many older adults, particularly those who do not drive, were left vulnerable.

“That was a huge blow to the community,” he said.

Gutschmidt said the neighborhood is especially encouraged that Eastern Iowa Health Center, rather than a national chain, is running the new pharmacy.

“Eastern Iowa Health Center has been a great community partner,” he said. “… I mean, they are a tremendous resource for the community and the city as a whole. … The biggest way the community can help is by transferring their prescriptions here. That would really go a long way to keeping that money in the community.”

Meeting growing demand

The health center has seen rapid growth in recent years. Two years ago, it served about 12,000 unduplicated patients; by 2024, that number climbed to more than 17,000.

The center is on track to see 71,000 patient visits this year. With the addition of pharmacy, urgent care and vision services, the expectation is to exceed 100,000 patient encounters within the next two years, Lock said.

The pharmacy itself is growing steadily. In its second week of operation, staff filled 184 prescriptions. Weekly totals have continued to climb as clinics refer patients directly to the on-site pharmacy and outreach efforts spread awareness.

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Financial challenges ahead

While the center has significantly expanded its budget — from $3.5 million a decade ago to $25 million today — federal funding has remained flat at about $1.74 million annually. That federal support helps subsidize care for uninsured patients, but leaders stress the need for additional revenue streams.

That’s where new services come in. Pharmacy, urgent care and vision care are designed not only to meet community health needs but also to provide financial stability in the face of uncertainty about Medicaid funding.

“Medicaid is in the crosshairs at the federal level,” Lock said. “We’re preparing for those changes so that we can continue to be here for our patients.”

At the same time, the center is encouraging the community to support local care by filling prescriptions at its pharmacy.

“If you go to CVS, profits go to Rhode Island. If you go to Walgreens, they go to Illinois,” Lock said. “If you shop local with us, every dollar stays in this community, expanding services and serving more patients.”

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The pharmacy's current hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the facility includes a recently opened drive-up window.

Technology as a force multiplier

Across its initiatives, the health center is betting that technology can help it do more with limited resources — whether through automated dispensing, tele-interpretation or medication adherence packaging.

“We don’t want our pharmacists spending their day counting pills,” Lock said. “We want them working directly with patients, using their clinical skills to improve health outcomes. Technology helps make that possible.”

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