Pharmacy health services

Our expert pharmacists and technicians at Advocate Pharmacy do more than refill your medications. They administer immunizations, provide over-the-counter product and medical equipment recommendations, and offer ways to responsibly dispose of medications.

What immunizations does Advocate Pharmacy offer?

When you get vaccinated at Advocate Pharmacy, you’re not only protecting yourself but your loved ones and your community. Our pharmacists are trained to give common immunizations, helping keep you healthy all year long.

Immunizations we offer include:

• COVID
• RSV
• Td or Tdap (Tetanus)
• Prevnar 20 (Pneumonia)
• Hepatitis A and B
• Shingrix (Shingles)
• Other vaccines

You don’t need an appointment – simply stop by your local Advocate Pharmacy location for one of several immunizations.

How can I get help understanding my medications?

Our expert pharmacists are available for one-on-one consultations and are happy to provide a medication review.

Resources for home health management

Our goal is for you to be confident in your medication and treatment plan. If you have questions, our pharmacists and technicians are ready to offer information and recommend resources that may benefit you. Specific health needs could include:

• Management of diabetes: If you have diabetes, your pharmacist can teach you how to use your diabetic needles and monitor your blood sugar levels throughout the day.
• Prevention of prescription drug abuse: Opioid medication offers pain relief for many conditions, and we’ll help you learn how to properly take your medication to reduce your addiction risk.
• Regimens after organ transplant: Part of the lifelong commitment to caring for your new organ includes daily medications to prevent rejection and other complications.

We also offer medication pill boxes and other educational materials to help you manage your health at home. Call your pharmacy and ask about education.

Comprehensive medication review

Our comprehensive medication review (CMR) sessions may be included as a benefit in your insurance coverage. CMR sessions can help you better understand your medication regimen. These one-on-one consultations are typically 15-45 minutes. If you’re taking multiple medications, CMR helps make your medication regiment easier, and you may benefit if you:

• Have concerns about drug side effects, even with over-the-counter medications and supplements
• Want to know how your medications work and why you take them
• Have more than one chronic condition
• Want to lower your medication costs

Call your pharmacy to schedule a CMR session if it’s included in your insurance plan.

Resources for safely handling and disposing of medications

We’re here to help you safely handle prescription medications, supplies and equipment. To help keep yourself and your loved ones safe, we offer the following resources:

Medication take-back and disposal

At some Advocate Health Care hospitals, you’ll find medication drop boxes to accept your unwanted prescription painkillers and other drugs. Ask your pharmacy team where you can find the nearest drop box.

You can safely dispose of over-the-counter medications by removing the medications from their original packaging and throwing them away. If necessary, you can also mix drugs with undesirable substances such as used cat litter or coffee grounds and place in a sealed bag in with household waste. Unless instructed by your doctor or pharmacists, please do not flush unused medication down the sink, toilet or drain.

Sharps disposal

You can bring your filled red sharps container to your preferred Advocate Pharmacy for safe disposal. If you need a sharps container, we also have them available for purchase.

Before you bring in your sharps container for disposal, please keep in mind that it should be at or slightly below the “full” line (about 75% full). It should also be securely snapped closed and handed to your pharmacist personally – please don’t place your used sharps container on the pharmacy counter.

Antiopioid medications (Narcan)

If you or a family member are prescribed opioid painkillers, it’s important to keep antiopioid medications on hand. Our Advocate Pharmacy locations have naloxone (also called Narcan or Evzio).

For those struggling with opioid dependency, our behavioral health experts can help.

Living with mental health or substance abuse problems

We help those with mental health or substance abuse issues get the compassionate care they need. As part of your treatment plan, our pharmacists will help you learn about your medications, manage your treatment schedule and check to see if your medications are covered by your insurance. Learn about Advocate Health Care’s mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

Personalized care

At Advocate Pharmacy, we offer specialized care that creates a personalized experience for our patients.

Therapeutic footwear

At some of our pharmacy locations, we offer footwear products to help prevent diabetic complications or provide comfort if you’re on your feet all day. If you have diabetes, therapeutic footwear may help relieve pain caused by arthritis, edema (swelling), neuropathy (nerve damage and pain) and circulation issues.

Hospital bedside prescription delivery

With prescription delivery, your medications will be brought to you before you leave the hospital. You can also have a family member pick up your prescriptions or stop at the pharmacy on your way home. For your convenience, Advocate Pharmacy locations are in our Advocate Health Care hospitals.

Language assistance

We offer interpreter services for our Advocate Pharmacy patients. If requested, one will be provided at no cost to you. Learn more about language assistance services.