By Lindsey Howard, Marketing Director, Hometown Health System
Hometown Health System started when two friends, MeLeigha Milby and Nelda Eads, took a giant leap of faith and left the security of the corporate pharmacy world to open a small town, local, family-owned pharmacy in Campbellsville, Kentucky.
Through the counter of their retail pharmacy, Hometown was awakened to the overwhelming healthcare needs of the people in their community, needs that were falling under the radar, going unseen and unmet. For example, patients with holes in their roof, holes in the floors of their home, homes with no HVAC, patients bedridden without proper care, patients without access to proper nutrition. Time and time again they became aware of situations that made it hard to continue to just drop off medications and leave, they felt a responsibility to help the people placed in their care and refused to turn a blind eye to their desperate cries for help. They realized very quickly that healthcare is so much more than just providing a prescription, healthcare also means full bellies, safe and secure living conditions, psychological support, relationships and follow-up. They could never have dreamed where this journey would take them over the next five years. In such a short amount of time, their vision to help the community grew to include another retail pharmacy in Springfield, Kentucky, a nationally accredited Specialty Pharmacy, Hometown Specialty Pharmacy, a non-profit healthcare ministry, Hometown Connect, and a Healthcare Clinic, Hometown Healthcare Clinic. As the company has grown, so has the heart.
Through the doors of the retail pharmacy, they are able to offer traditional retail pharmacy services such as vaccinations, compounding, point-of-care testing, compliance packaging and free delivery. Their patient care program further optimizes health outcomes and streamlines medication utilization and adherence for patients. When delivery drivers personally deliver medications, it is another way they are able to build deeper relationships with the patients and facilities, they work with as they seek to offer the best possible care to their community.
Through Hometown Specialty Pharmacy they have achieved the Gold Standard URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation, as well as the ACHC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation. They are one of the few private, family owned pharmacies in the state of Kentucky with these accreditations. The specialty pharmacy allows them to treat patients with rare and complex conditions, such as cancer, blood disorders, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Hepatitis, behavioral health disorders and substance use disorder, among others.
They are passionate about going the extra mile to help break the cycle of addiction we see in so many of our local communities. They work with recovery centers in Kentucky and are heavily involved in the treatment, care, discharge planning and re-entry of individuals in recovery. They also realize that biological and psychological healing journeys cannot be separated. In an effort to offer true, comprehensive healthcare that will help the whole person and create lasting change, they partner with Dr.Jason Roop and the Center for Trait-Based Transformation. This transformative, strengths-based psychosocial recovery model, identifies leadership and other personality traits and builds upon the participants’ internal strengths to establish goals and opportunities. The aim is to empower clients by facilitating reconnection with their communities, enhancing their self-confidence and fostering hope and commitment. This program offers their patients another very important tool in the wellness
toolbox.
They are passionate about going the extra mile to help break the cycle of addiction we see in so many of our local communities. They work with recovery centers in Kentucky and are heavily involved in the treatment, care, discharge planning and re-entry of individuals in recovery. They also realize that biological and psychological healing journeys cannot be separated. In an effort to offer true, comprehensive healthcare that will help the whole person and create lasting change, they partner with Dr. Jason Roop and the Center for Trait-Based Transformation. This transformative, strengths-based psychosocial recovery model, identifies leadership and other personality traits and builds upon the participants’ internal strengths to establish goals and opportunities. The aim is to empower clients by facilitating reconnection with their communities, enhancing their self-confidence and fostering hope and commitment. This program offers their patients another very important tool in the wellness toolbox.
They are passionate about going the extra mile to help break the cycle of addiction we see in so many of our local communities. They work with recovery centers in Kentucky and are heavily involved in the treatment, care, discharge planning and re-entry of individuals in recovery. They also realize that biological and psychological healing journeys cannot be separated. In an effort to offer true, comprehensive healthcare that will help the whole person and create lasting change, they partner with Dr. Jason Roop and the Center for Trait-Based Transformation. This transformative, strengths-based psychosocial recovery model, identifies leadership and other personality traits and builds upon the participants’ internal strengths to establish goals and opportunities. The aim is to empower clients by facilitating reconnection with their communities, enhancing their self-confidence and fostering hope and commitment. This program offers their patients another very important tool in the wellness toolbox.
When patients leave recovery facilities they are still connected to Hometown through their non-profit ministry Hometown Connect. Hometown Connect is a non-profit healthcare ministry that addresses social determinant barriers and assesses patient needs so that they can then connect them to established resources. They address key areas of homelessness, impact of addiction and drugs, lack of nutritional foods, access to affordable healthcare, mental health provider accessibility, grief counseling and so much more. Hometown believes that when meeting a physical health need, they are then able to bring Hometown Connect alongside the patient to build relationships, create follow-up and accountability with the goal of giving help and hope to the whole person; mind, body and soul. Hometown Connect runs a soup kitchen in Campbellsville, feeding over 400 people twice a week. They have a team of community health workers who complete daily intakes from those in need in the community and they are able to meet many of their needs that may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. They visit recovery facilities and provide Connect Re-entry Classes, Bibles and Blessing Bags. Their hope is that when a patient leaves a facility and is partnered with a mentor to help them take their next steps, clinically and socially, it will break the cycle of relapse or re-entry and allow the patient to thrive and grow and succeed on
their own.
When they meet a patient with urgent needs who has fallen out of care with a medical provider, they are able to provide them care through Hometown Healthcare Clinic, our in house medical clinic. The healthcare clinic is simply an augmentation to existing provider/patient relationships and when a primary care provider is not established our clinical staff will initiate the primary care role within our clinic. Their clinical healthcare team addresses key areas of health equity disparities and statistical deficiencies that are currently lost to lack of follow up due to regional social determinant barriers. Their medical staff can augment patient care plans for referring specialty providers to support management of complex and rare conditions. Through their clinic they are able to do on site and off-site drug administration, laboratory monitoring, first dose tolerance, education and comprehensive follow-up. This helps to improve overall health outcomes, reduce morbidity and mortality all while educating and empowering the patient to become their own advocate.
Hometown Health System is passionate about their mission to come alongside patients, providers and facilities to provide an innovative, comprehensive care plan that works to give exceptional care, break cycles of brokenness and promote real and lasting change. Their vision for comprehensive care goes beyond filing prescriptions and truly seeks to help the whole person, mind, body, and soul. Their vision is REFORM, across our state and beyond!
Hometown Health System will be presenting at the KHC 10th Annual Conference. Hear from both MeLeigha Milby and Jason Roop during our breakout session Day 1 of conference, September 18th.
