Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health will spend about $11 million as part of efforts to comply with new national standards governing how its hospitals receive, store, dispense and dispose of hazardous drugs, according to a Buffalo Business First report.
The five-hospital system is planning $5.5 million in pharmacy upgrades at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo and the hospital's St. Joseph Campus in Cheektowaga, N.Y., according to the report.
It also intends to spend $2 million at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and $1.3 million at Mount St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y. Catholic Health has filed plans with the New York State Department of Health for the projects.
In addition to those projects, the system invested $2 million in pharmacy upgrades at Kenmore (N.Y.) Mercy Hospital last year, according to the report.
All projects are to comply with USP800 quality and practice standards adopted by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention. Implementation of the standards — which apply to the handling of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings — is scheduled for December 2019.