FORT GORDON, Ga. -- When the Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) inpatient and support pharmacy refrigerators shut down due to a power outage, two Soldiers acted quickly and moved medication and vaccines to functioning refrigerators and saved over $1.1 million but also saved a patient's life.
On March 3, 2015, there was a power outage in the EAMC inpatient and support pharmacies with all of the refrigerators being affected.
So when Staff Sgt. Jacob Neve, medical supply sergeant (68J), from Tulare, Calif., and Cpl. Shayne McKenzie, Pharmacy Tech (68Q) from Haskell, Texas, realized that the temperatures in the refrigerators were rising quickly, they moved every item from the pharmacy to refrigerators in the warehouse.
They saved over $1.1 million in medication and vaccines and averted a massive medication and vaccine shortage for the medical center.
Two hours after the event, a heart surgery patient required the use of Factor VII, a refrigerated product stored in the inpatient refrigerators that is rarely used at the medical facility, and survived the operation due to the medication and the actions of Neve and McKenzie.
Col. John Lamoureux, EAMC Commander, presented both Neve and McKenzie with the April Patient Safety Award on April 2, 2015, for their actions which affected EAMC patients.
"Had the Factor VII gone bad due to the loss of power the patient may not have survived," said Lamoureux. "Their actions saved taxpayers and the Army over a million dollars but more importantly they saved someone's life."
Recognizing their accomplishment, Capt. Christopher Gormley, Chief, EAMC Inpatient Pharmacy, said "their presence in times of crisis is an automatic boost to morale as they exemplify dependability."
"It's imperative that we, as leaders, continue to recognize their efforts and encourage others to follow in their footsteps."
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