Taking care of our neighbors

Manny Isherwood
Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Manny Isherwood thrives in an environment that fosters continuous learning and collaboration, while improving patient care.

“With an academic medical center, the mindset is that you’re always teaching, no matter your discipline,” says Manny, a clinical pharmacy coordinator for Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “You hear new ideas, and your views are always challenged. There is a push to take what we’re doing and make sure it’s what’s best for our patients.”

In one example, Manny led an age-friendly initiative to decrease the use of Benadryl®, an antihistamine, in older adults. This was done to prevent dangerous side effects, such as confusion, dizziness and an increased risk of falls. By implementing an electronic medical records alert, the effort has successfully prompted providers to choose a safer alternative more than 90% of the time.

“Our team is very passionate about improving our processes and meeting our patients where they are,” he says. “We’re different from most academic centers. We’re not in a major city. We have closer ties to the community and are truly invested in taking care of our neighbors.”

It’s stories like these that drive our purpose.