Aurora St. Luke's Opens Two Retail Stores to Serve Patients' Medical, Convenience Needs

MILWAUKEE, May 22 Aurora Health Care has opened two retailstores in Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center to better serve patients and toease their transition from hospital to home in a new pilot program.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080522/AQTH076)

"Our mission is to design care around the patient," said Susan Buettner,senior vice president of administrative services for Aurora. "We want tocreate a care experience that is as simple and stress-free as possible,especially when it's time for a patient to leave the hospital. By havingretail stores on site, families can pick up anything from a cold compress to apain medication dispenser and be on their way."

Products related to heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes and othermedical needs are available at For Your Well Being, a store inside thehospital. Products that are sources of comfort like pillows, music,aromatherapy and books are available as well. The emphasis is on conveniencefor patients and family members, allowing them to easily pick up the productsthey need to recover and heal at home.

A team of Aurora clinical caregivers helped select the products mostbeneficial to patients such as specialized skin-care products for cancerpatients, compression stockings, insulin testing kits for diabetes patients,and hand and wrist supports for rehabilitation patients. Items for home useinclude long-handled brushes, kitchen helpers, and big-button phones. Comfortitems such as neck wraps and booties also are offered.

"Patients are more engaged in their health care than ever before and wantconvenience and access as well as high-quality care," Buettner said. "Webelieve these stores will meet a growing need."

The approximately 2,400-square-foot For Your Well Being is on the firstfloor of Aurora St. Luke's between the outpatient pharmacy and the 29th Streetentrance.

Market Express, on the third-floor Aurora St. Luke's skywalk near thephysician office building, is similar to a convenience store you might find atan airport. The store, which is about 350 square feet, offers items such astoothbrushes or batteries and also features coffee, juices, sandwiches,salads, snacks and some dairy items.

Both stores are open to all -- patients, family members, caregivers andthe public.

For Your Well Being will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Memorial Day hours are 9 a.m. to4 p.m. Market Express hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

The store openings come on the heels of another pilot program, called theCare Center, in which medical necessities such as cold packs, elastic bandagesand ibuprofen are sold in vending machines at the Aurora St. Luke's emergencydepartment and at the Franklin Urgent Care Center. The machines include thetop 20 over-the-counter home health items required by emergency departmentpatients after they receive treatment.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider anda nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughouteastern Wisconsin.

SOURCE Aurora Health Care