Photo courtesy of Hayat Pharmacy
Mara Ahmad, RN
Hayat Pharmacy Community Nursing Senior Manager Mara Ahmad, RN
Barriers to medication access involve many factors such as money, transportation, stability or able-bodiedness. Mara Ahmad recognizes this, and as co-founder of Hayat Pharmacy’s long-acting injectable (LAI) program, she and her team of nurses deliver medications straight to patients’ doorsteps. “It is so rewarding to know that the work that you’re doing is actually making a significant impact on the quality of lives of other people,” Ahmad says. The LAI program serves vulnerable patients of all ages in the greater Milwaukee area.
Since its introduction in 2021, LAIs have proven to reduce patient relapses and hospitalizations while improving adherence. “When people take oral medications, even healthy patients often forget to take doses,” Ahmad notes. “LAIs allow for clients to consistently take their medication without any lapse in therapy.” In-person care also allows Ahmad and her team to note vitals or side effects of medications so better feedback may be given to providers, as well as assist patients with improving eating and sleeping routines.
“It’s just consistently kept growing year after year,” Ahmad adds. Thanks to the LAI program, Hayat Pharmacy has built strong relationships with social workers, case managers and group homes. Patients who had previously been told they would be on permanent disability due to mental health conditions have since been able to go back to school or work full-time.
Hope in Their Eyes
Photo courtesy of Hayat Pharmacy
LAI program home visit - Hayat Pharmacy
Registered Nurse Mara Ahmad greets a patient while making an LAI program home visit.
Ahmad attests to having had to hop fences and make trips to the ER during crises. She has also visited patients at their new jobs and, on one occasion, at driver’s ed. For her work, Ahmad has been honored as the Interdisciplinary Colleague of the Year by the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). She affirms, “I see someone when they’re really sick, and then I get to see them when they’re thriving. I remember first meeting patients who needed their mom to call me to schedule all their appointments, and now they’re texting me to let me know they’re over at their grandma’s house. Being able to see hope in their eyes makes me emotional just talking about it.”
While the Trump administration's federal cuts have not directly affected the LAI program, Ahmad remains concerned about the fate of Medicaid since many of Hayat’s patients use it. She emphasizes that enforcing work requirements on patients with debilitating mental health issues just to qualify for care is not feasible. “Psychosis affects some cognitive abilities because it damages parts of one’s brain. Some people will never get to the point where they can work full-time or have the capacity to even job search.”
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Unfortunately, the LAI model is rare elsewhere due to lack of funding but there is hope that will change. “We make the same amount of money as a pharmacy that just dispenses at the counter,” Ahmad explains. “Maybe down the road there will be funding to pay for that kind of service. The outcomes for our patients are so significant that I hope that it will change in the future.”
Expanding Services
Having previously been a medical assistant in pediatrics and internal medicine before becoming a registered nurse, Ahmad worked for the Muslim Community Health Center for several years, where she played a significant role in expanding services such as its vaccine program. When Covid hit, Ahmad was able to receive her vaccine early on with the help of Hayat Pharmacy, where she was quickly offered a job after offering to be a volunteer. Ahmad then oversaw Hayat’s own Covid vaccine program and eventually helped launch the LAIs. “We did at that time have a few pharmacists who provided once-in-a-while an LAI but it was not the norm,” she recalls. “We wanted to see how we could incorporate making it part of the flow here at Hayat.”
If you know someone who would benefit from the LAI program, Ahmad encourages folks to reach out to Hayat Pharmacy. “I hope that more providers know that this is an option for their patients. I think if patients understood how positive the impact is, more people would be interested in it.” Visit the pharmacy’s website or one of its 18 locations in the Milwaukee area for more information.
