Due to the recent budget cuts at NAU, students will need to leave campus to fill prescriptions after Fronske Health Center’s pharmacy closes May 29.

Tim Fleming, the medical director at Fronske, said the pharmacy’s limited ability to contract with insurance companies contributed significantly to its closure. 

“Currently, we can bill only Blue Cross and Aetna and some Signa plans,” Fleming said. “Students have many different insurance carriers and types of plans from all over the country. The students who will miss the pharmacy the most are those who have no insurance prescription benefits. For those students who have to pay for the entire cost of their medications, the Fronske Health Center pharmacy was usually the best option in the community.” 

According to a study by the Government Accountability Office, 1.7 million college-age U.S. citizens have no health insurance.  This demographic comprises 20 percent of all uninsured U.S. citizens.

David Barkley, a pharmacist who has worked at Fronske for 15 years, said he will miss being a part of the campus healthcare team. 

“I’m sad the pharmacy will be closing, not only for me, but for the NAU community in general,” Barkley said. “The major concern that I have is that there will be a fair number of students who may not get the treatment that they need because they feel too sick to go off campus to get their medications.”

ASNAU president Alyssa McKinley said she felt the closing of the pharmacy was a “shame,” and that it presented a severe inconvenience for students.

“Fronske’s proximity on campus made it very convenient for students to be able to access health care quickly and efficiently,” McKinley said. “I know when I’m sick the last thing I want to do is hunt down someone to either diagnose my illness or prescribe medication to fix it.”

Barkley also said the students’ inability to put charges on their accounts presents other potential problems. This will create an additional burden for patients who find themselves short on funds at the time.  

Barkley has offered several different options for students who have prescription medicines filled at Fronske.

Barkley said students may purchase the remaining refills, transfer their prescriptions to a pharmacy or purchase a small amount of refills before transferring the rest of the prescription to a pharmacy. However, Barkley said it is the students’ responsibility to inform Fronske of what they want to do with their prescriptions. 

“Each individual will need to take the responsibility for choosing the pharmacy that they wish to fill their medications,” Barkley said. “There are a number of pharmacies close to campus: Target, Safeway, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, and our providers can also fax prescriptions of any pharmacy of the patient’s choice in Flagstaff.”

Kaylee Sena, a junior environmental science major, said the closing of Fronske is a loss for NAU, and she will have to find a new pharmacy to fill her prescription. 

“Honestly, it’s bad that the pharmacy is closing,” Sena said. “It’s right in the middle of campus, and it’s just right there for (students). I don’t know how expensive the pharmacies off campus are, but there are so many of them that I have options on which one I’ll go to.” 

McKinley said this effect of the budget cuts was perhaps the most alarming.

“I think this decision is one that will be fought back against by students more than other campus closings, and I hope that this gets remedied as soon as possible,” McKinley said. “It just makes me wonder that, if there are more cuts to campus funding, what will go next?”

Fleming said students must get their refills or transfers by May 29. For more information, call the Fronske Health Center’s pharmacy at 523-6362.