7 Ways Maxor is Helping Whitman-Walker Health
Whitman-Walker Health, which provides community-based health and wellness services at multiple locations throughout Washington D.C., is dedicated to providing stigma-free care to anyone who walks through its doors. The organization, which opened in 1973, specializes in LGBTQ and HIV care, and was one of the first to research, treat, test, and care for patients with HIV/AIDS.
In 2009, Whitman-Walker Health partnered with Maxor to manage their Downtown D.C.-based pharmacy. “We had tried to open a pharmacy previously but had struggled to make it financially viable. With Maxor, we’ve experienced clinical and financial success,” said Sarah Henn, MD, MPH, Chief Health Officer at Whitman-Walker Health.
The partnership with Maxor has been so successful that in 2018, Whitman-Walker Health opened another pharmacy, in Southeast D.C. “We wanted to further extend and enhance our impact on the community, and we knew opening our own pharmacy would help,” shared Dr. Henn. This pharmacy is also fully managed by Maxor.
To further explore the benefits of the pharmacy management partnership with Maxor, we spoke with Dr. Henn and four of her colleagues:
- Naseema Shafi, Chief Executive Officer, Whitman-Walker Health
- Abby Fenton, Executive Director, Whitman-Walker Foundation & Chief External Affairs Officer
- Chris Holleman, Senior Director of Financial Reporting, Whitman-Walker Health
- Meghan Davies, Chief of Programs, Whitman-Walker Health
Here, they share their favorite characteristics of Maxor’s approach—and how it is supporting community health and culturally-relevant care:
Culturally-committed and competent. “We offer culturally competent specialty care and consultation for the LGBTQ community and those impacted by HIV—patients who take PrEP or hormones or anti-retroviral treatment. The Maxor team understands this role in our community, and participates in our cultural competency training. They fully become of part of Whitman-Walker and our culture.”
— Fenton
Patient-centered and patient-focused. “The most important part of the business is that the pharmacy team members have the same values that we have around patient care, dignity, and respect. The patients deserve the very best, and that’s important that we’ve got that alignment.”
— Shafi
Smart and flexible. “This is hard work and they don’t shy away from it. Things are changing all the time, and we have to be flexible, smart, and willing to change. Maxor is always willing to work with us and figure out how best to address changes that come up, as well as the community’s needs.”
— Davies
Experienced and specialized. “The Maxor team is deeply experienced in providing highly specialized service and care. We can delegate fully to them, and we have full confidence in them. I would put our partnership with Maxor among the top three best decisions we’ve ever made as an organization. They walk hand-in-hand with us to ensure we’re always putting our patients and our community first.”
— Holleman
Staffing and retention expertise. “They’ve embraced our culture and want to make sure that the staff they hire are the right fit for our organization. They invite us to sit in and talk with interview candidates. They don’t extend an offer until other key members of our team have had a chance to meet and talk to them. They make sure candidates will be a good cultural fit for our organization and community.”
— Henn
Strategic and proactive. “Maxor helps us understand the landscape and future of 340B. When changes do happen, they help us predict and understand what those changes mean. We have that kind of trust and understanding that you have with a co-worker and colleague where you can bounce things off of them and get their opinion, and I think they have kind of an insight into our business that a lot of vendors we work with don’t have.”
— Henn
Collaborative and complementary. “They’re very aligned with how we communicate with patients, and we work together seamlessly. When we started working with them, I remember thinking, ‘Wow this really works.’”
— Davies
For more on the Whitman-Walker Health and Maxor partnership, view this video case study.