POCATELLO — Bingham Healthcare has expanded its services in the Gate City after opening a new tele-pharmacy near Portneuf Medical Center.

Bingham Healthcare Director of Marketing Valerie Jewett said the tele-pharmacy is located at 1151 Hospital Way. There was a soft opening for the facility back in March and a ribbon cutting was held alongside the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce on April 17.

”It works like a regular pharmacy,” Jewett said. “It is run like a telehealth visit.”

Before the soft opening in March, Jewett said the staff had been working on perfecting their telehealth system. They worked on it for about a year before the soft opening.

”We were doing our employees’ prescriptions to make sure everything worked,” Jewett said.

Everyone at Bingham Healthcare is excited to have this new tele-pharmacy open. She said it will be a great resource for the people in the community.

”We haven’t had prescription services in Pocatello, so this is awesome for us,” Jewett said. “It’s a good service addition to the area.”

This new tele-pharmacy will be more convenient for the people in Pocatello, particularly those who live close to where it is located. People will be able to get their prescriptions faster.

”I know when you don’t feel good, you want to get it done quickly,” Jewett said about getting prescriptions filled. “It’s one more thing to help the community in Pocatello.”

According to a news release from Bingham Healthcare, these new services are intended to enhance access to healthcare and delivery for people living in this region.

There will be a pharmacist based in Blackfoot who will oversee prescriptions through a telecommunications system. This will ensure that patients in Pocatello will receive the same level of care that they would receive in person.

In addition to the tele-pharmacy, Bingham Healthcare is also introducing ER Behavioral Health and Neurology Telemedicine to Pocatello. The news release said this will ensure that patients requiring these services will receive accurate treatments.

These services will be intended for patients requiring behavioral health assessments and stroke consults. A virtual provider will conduct expert assessments and consultations that will ensure effective care.

Under these new services, a virtual provider will be able to deliver proper care to patients. Bingham Healthcare hopes this will enhance patient outcomes and ensure that they will receive the correct treatments.