The Eastern Iowa Health Center will celebrate the opening of its new pharmacy with a ribbon-cutting event on Aug. 21, following the accelerated completion of a long-planned project aimed at increasing access to prescription services in central Cedar Rapids.
The event is scheduled from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., with remarks at 4:15 p.m. outside the pharmacy at 400 12th St. SE.
Plans for the pharmacy had been under development for two years, but were expedited after the closure of a Hy-Vee store in June 2024, which left surrounding neighborhoods — including Wellington Heights and Mound View — without nearby pharmacy services.
The pharmacy is open to the public and offers the same access to prescriptions as other community pharmacies.
“I am proud to say the EIHC Pharmacy is open for business,” Mr. Lock said. “I strongly encourage the public to utilize EIHC’s pharmacy to support local business and the patients we serve.”
The Cedar Rapids facility is also among the first three pharmacies in the United States to implement McKesson’s CountMate vial-filling system, a robotic dispensing technology designed to improve speed and accuracy in prescription processing. EIHC is the first in the Midwest to adopt the technology, which can produce a fully-labeled prescription every 20 seconds, according to the health center.
The system includes dual robotic arms, biometric security features and real-time canister replenishment, which EIHC officials said will allow staff to focus more on patient consultations and follow-up care.
The Eastern Iowa Health Center provides medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy services to patients regardless of ability to pay. The center anticipates 72,000 patient visits this year across its network of care sites.
