November 27, 2021 was a day that CVS Health customer Charlotte Ostrom, 87 years young, will never forget. “I’d been having some pressure in my chest – not pain really, just pressure, and I found that taking a nitroglycerine pill before bed made that pressure go away."
When she visited her local CVS pharmacy in Minnetonka, Minnesota to refill a prescription for the medication, pharmacist Laura Baumgartner was concerned.
“Charlotte’s prescription wasn’t quite due to be refilled. I was worried that she could be taking too much,” explains Laura. “I suggested that she speak to her doctor and I told her I would reach out as well.”
Charlotte never had time to call the doctor’s office. They wasted no time reaching out to Charlotte because of the call that Laura made on her behalf.
“After responding to their questions, I was told to get to the Emergency Room immediately,” Charlotte explains, adding that her son Rob, who lived nearby, drove her.
At the hospital, both blood work and an electrocardiogram (EKG) came back abnormal. Charlotte was rushed into surgery where three stents were inserted into vessels that were 95%, 93% and 63% blocked.
“It turns out, I was having mini heart attacks!” says Charlotte. “If Laura, my diligent pharmacist, hadn’t noticed something was wrong and called my doctor, I could have died or at the very least have had a debilitating stroke.”
“What I love most about CVS Health is how patient-focused we are,” says Laura. “Whether it’s in the pharmacy or the store, we always put people first.”
Praise for her pharmacist’s care
Two months following Charlotte’s surgery, after Laura was finishing a long day at work, she opened an email to find that Charlotte, her grateful patient, had written to her and CVS Health, explaining the outcome and offering thanks.
“I got very emotional when Charlotte called me her guardian angel. Needless to say, I’m going to treasure this letter for a long, long time,” Laura confided.
As for Charlotte, she’s feeling healthy, happy and looking forward to celebrating her 88th birthday with family this Spring, “I’m so very grateful to be alive.”
Thank you, Laura, for looking beyond a simple prescription refill to the very heart and needs of patients who depend on you.