The Avita Blog: Learning and Growing Together

Welcome to The Avita Blog. We’re excited you’re here and thrilled to tell you all about it. But first, a little backstory:

For more than 50 years, we’ve been focused on providing compassionate pharmacy care to vastly underserved populations, helping patients unlock healthier lives and our covered entity partners unlock the full potential of the health care they can provide.

In 2020, four companies, each with its own legacy of providing high-touch pharmacy services, came together under the Avita brand. While the integration broadened Avita as an organization, our team members already displayed the same passion: We have always—and continue to—put the patient first.

But let’s be clear; Avita is way more than just a pharmacy. The Avita team has deep expertise addressing the needs of covered entities running 340B programs during ever-changing and challenging times. What’s more, our team members work hand-in-hand with our covered entity partners to address the health of those disproportionately affected by complex health conditions, offering general pharmacy needs in combination with HIV, PrEP, STI, and LGBTQ+ care.

We also lean into communities, which is where the launch of this blog comes into play. Providers and their patients see us not just as a pharmacy provider or trusted health care professionals, but also as an organization that understands and embraces the needs of our communities—and is dedicated to helping them move forward.

Thought leadership on tap

Avita both benefits and differentiates itself by having a host of industry thought leaders on our team. Take, for example, Jerry Purcell, Avita’s founder and now EVP of Client Relationships. With more than 25 years of experience helping both covered entities and provider practices support and grow their businesses while ensuring patients receive affirming care, Jerry is a tremendous resource to Avita, our partners, and the community.

Or consider Glen Pietrandoni, Avita’s SVP of Patient and Community Advocacy. Glen not only serves on the Board of Pharmacy for the State of Illinois but is also the Board Chair of AIDS United, as well as a board member of Community Voices for 340B. For more than 30 years, Glen has been driving educational opportunities that improve the life and health of patients. He’s also deeply engaged in Avita’s mission as an industry advocate, and networks with government officials, pharma, and covered entities to represent our views and discuss industry activity.

And those are just two examples. As this blog matures, you’ll hear from a variety of experts—both Avita team members and our partners and patients who are on the ground facing health care issues every day—as we strive to provide actionable insights that help the community learn and grow together.

Stay tuned for content categories including:

• Executive Insights: Engaging takes on the latest news from industry experts, including their point of views on advocacy, fundraising, compliance, achieving sustainable growth, and more.
• The Sexual Wellness Report: More and more covered entities are focusing on their patients’ whole health instead of just specific medical conditions. We’ll offer up the latest news on sexual wellness, a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being concerning sexuality.
• Patient Stories: Hear from the folks we partner with our covered entities to serve every day. You’ll learn their stories, challenges, and how they’ve overcome both personal and health care-related obstacles.
• Partner Profiles: From Ryan White/STD Grantees to FQHCs, we’ll showcase a variety of covered entities, and in the process learn about their goals, obstacles and “aha” moments.
• Event Updates: Conferences. Pride festivals. Community celebrations. Avita sponsors more than 40 events a year. You’ll get the scoop on what went down, including imagery that makes you feel like you were there.
• Avita News: Avita continues to demonstrate leadership as a national pharmacy services provider, an employer, and a community partner. Stayed tuned for updates on awards, business growth milestones, our culture, and other exciting developments.
• Pharmacist Spotlights: Avita’s team of pharmacists— many of whom are AAHIVP- certified pride themselves in delivering culturally competent care to their communities. We’ll feature these everyday heroes along with their handy tips for providers patients.
• Lens on LGBTQ+: From its very inception, Avita has been honored to serve the LGBTQ+ community with dignity, respect, and personalized care. Look for articles on what’s trending for this robust demographic, including close-ups on physical, cultural, and advocacy efforts in the news.
• And more!

What’s next?

While we’re delighted to launch The Avita Blog, that’s not all we have up our sleeves. Blog posts are just one element of a larger thought leadership program headed your way from Avita. We encourage you to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to be the first to know about upcoming webinars, exclusive research and reports, community events, and more. We’ll “see” you there.