Pharmacy Manager David Hudoba starts to prepare a prescription at the new Community Action Agency of Columbiana County Federal 340B Pharmacy in Lisbon during the kickoff on Wednesday. CAACC already operates a pharmacy in Calcutta and now the one in Lisbon is open to exclusively serve patients of CAACC’s Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON – The new CAA Lisbon Pharmacy opened Wednesday.

“This new pharmacy has been needed in our communities for a long time, and it became even more pressing when several of the area’s Rite Aid’s closed last year,” said David Hudoba, pharmacy manager. “It’s been a pharmacy desert for a while, and we wanted to get our pharmacy open to serve our patients.”

Hudoba, a Canfield native, began in his position at CAA’s East Liverpool Pharmacy, when that location first opened to the public in January 2021.

The new Lisbon pharmacy, just like the East Liverpool pharmacy, is a 340B pharmacy, meaning it’s part of the federal government’s 340B Drug Pricing program that requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible health care organizations and covered entities at significantly reduced prices.

The new pharmacy is located inside the CAA Lisbon Health Center, 7880 Lincole Place. Patients may also use the pharmacy’s drive-through lane, and free delivery service will be available to patients, but some restrictions apply.

Any CAA patient is welcome to use the CAA Lisbon or East Liverpool pharmacies, officials explained.

“Most Federally Qualified Health Centers in the State of Ohio are adding in-house pharmacies,” said Jenna Wonner, COO of CAA’s Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers. “We are excited to offer this service to our patients and grow the program.”

“I feel so fortunate to work in such a large Community Action Agency, and I’m happy to be blazing a new trail,” Hudoba has said in the past.

Hudoba studied at The Ohio State University and Kent State University before continuing on to the Northeast Ohio Medical University, where he received a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree.

Hudoba is affiliated with the Ohio Pharmacists Association, and he noted he plans to test to receive a Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy and possibly ambulatory care in the future.

Patients can see their CAA medical, behavioral health or dental providers, and will be able to pick up their prescriptions the same day at the pharmacy, according to Hudoba. CAA’s process of allowing patients to see their providers and then go right to the pharmacy has had a great effect so far, he noted.

“We’re excited about our new Lisbon Pharmacy opening, and that is just another step in providing our patients with high quality, comprehensive and affordable health, behavioral health and dental care,” said Tom Andrews, CEO of CAA. “We are also very excited about being able to give the public a chance to view our newest pharmacy, as well as our entire Lisbon Health Center, during CAA’s 60th anniversary celebration.

“CAA has had a long history of helping people in Columbiana County, and this year we are proud to say we’ve had 60 distinguished years, with a bright future ahead.”

CAA medical, behavioral health and dental center providers see patients with insurance, Medicare or Medcaid, and a sliding fee scale is used to serve those patients with no insurance. The same will hold true for the pharmacy, as most insurances will be accepted, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, and the sliding fee scale will be used for those needing medication and without insurance.

The pharmacy’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Hours on Tuesdays are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pharmacy is closed each weekday from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch.

A pharmacy technician will float between the new Lisbon facility and East Liverpool, according to Hudoba.

He also noted that another goal with the CAA pharmacies is to ramp up the clinical pharmacy program, eventually allowing the pharmacists to conduct appointments with patients. “Basically, a patient will have already seen his or her provider, have been diagnosed, and then may make an appointment to see a pharmacist in patient rooms to discuss things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes,” he noted. “This does tremendously help with getting the patients where then need to be.” He added the end goal with the clinical pharmacy program is to see patients in rooms every weekday.