Patient Compliance Advocate Eartha Jackson distinctly remembers the moment her journey with what would later become Avita Pharmacy began. She was out for a ride near her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, when she drove past a small brick community pharmacy on the corner. Searching for a new pharmacy role, Eartha popped into the store and asked if they were hiring. Although the manager said they weren’t, he called her that evening to come in for a chat the very next day.
“Let’s see what you know,” the pharmacist said as he began the interview. And the rest, as they say, is history…thirty years’ worth of history in Eartha’s case. She started working as a cashier for Long’s Drugs—one of the four legacy pharmacy companies that later merged to form Avita Pharmacy, now an Avita Care Solutions company—in 1996. Since then, she’s called more than 16 pharmacy locations across four states her work homes, serving local communities as a pharmacy technician, call center manager, systems trainer, new store opening ringleader, and now patient compliance advocate.
When it’s humorously mentioned that Eartha is considered a “fixer,” or someone who can solve the most challenging problems with efficiency and grace, she grins and agrees. “That’s what they say,” she says. “I just keep trying things until I figure something out. I can’t let a challenge beat me.”
I just keep trying things until I figure something out. I can’t let a challenge beat me.
"It’s important to let people know somebody cares.”
Eartha’s refusal to give up and her commitment to compassionately caring for patients who have historically faced health equity barriers make her an ideal patient compliance advocate. In the role, she doggedly works to reconnect with individuals who have repeatedly missed refills of what are often life-saving medications.
What has she learned along the way? “It’s important to let people know you care,” Eartha says. “Sometimes patients just want somebody to listen. Some will tell me their stories without even being asked.
“It’s taught me so much about compassion,” Eartha continues. “Nobody wakes up and wants to be in the position of needing to take medication as a lifeline. There’s no reason that it couldn’t have happened to me.”
Her role as a minister in her community has shown Eartha that people want to know they are being seen and heard. “I try to feel their pain and understand their hearts,” she says. Doing so often results in a deeper connection than one would typically experience from their local pharmacy. “Some of my patients have my personal phone number, and they’ll call me when something is going on with them,” Eartha explains. “There’s one husband and wife that always call me, and if I’m 30 minutes away from my house, they’ll ask me to call when I get home, so they know I made it safely. It’s become a little family thing.”
Sometimes patients just want somebody to listen. Some will tell me their stories without even being asked. It’s taught me so much about compassion. Nobody wakes up and wants to be in the position of needing to take medication as a lifeline.
"I wouldn’t take anything for the journey.”
Eartha links her desire to pursue a career in compassionate care to her childhood upbringing. Her mother lost both of her legs after surviving a house fire, then went on to raise eight children with help from her family. “She pretty much did everything on her own, but because of her situation, we understood the importance of taking care of people and being there for them in difficult times,” Eartha says. “Growing up like that, seeing her faith and independence, but also realizing that even if she didn’t ask for it, she needed help, played a big part in my wanting to be able to help others.”
She shares this dedication with the hundreds of Avita “phamily” members she’s worked with over the last three decades. “There are so many people that will always be close to my heart,” Eartha says. “It goes beyond a co-worker thing. In a sense, you gather a new family; you see the things people are going through and watch each other’s kids grow up.”
As she looks back, Eartha muses that the last 30 years have been “a gift from God.” She says, “Just being able to do what I love, which is to encourage people—be it my patients or a team member who is going through a difficult time—is a joy. I’ve learned so much about others and myself; I wouldn’t take anything for the journey.”
Just being able to do what I love, which is to encourage people—be it my patients or a team member who is going through a difficult time—is a joy. I’ve learned so much about others and myself; I wouldn’t take anything for the journey.
TEAM MEMBER SNAPSHOT
Name: Eartha Jackson
Title: Patient Compliance Advocate
Location: Avita Pharmacy, Lexington, South Carolina
Advice to those pursuing a career in patient care:
“Offer your best customer service to each patient you serve. Don’t make them feel like they’re just a number. We do a great disservice to patients when we come across that way.”
Words of wisdom for covered entities working with pharmacy partners:
“Communication is key. As healthcare leaders, we collaboratively need to do everything we can to help patients stay compliant with their medications.”
How compassionate care has impacted her family directly:
“I have a 14-year-old grandson who is living with sickle cell disease. He spends a good bit of time in the hospital, and the one thing that always makes his stay a little easier is the compassionate nurses! He always remembers their names and hugs them when he leaves.”
Pastimes/hobbies:
In addition to being a youth minister at her church, Eartha enjoys time at the gym, going to the movies, and traveling.
