Mile Bluff CEO confirms sale of Raabe’s Pharmacy building

“A lot of people were asking when we bought the Shopko building if we would move all pharmacy services there,” Bartels said. “Well, we did not think that would serve New Lisbon right.”

Raabe’s will become a remote dispensing pharmacy similar to Mile Bluff’s sites in Elroy and Necedah. Customers can request their prescriptions through a screen, utilizing a system to dispense medications with the assistance of a pharmacy technician. Video conference equipment will connect them with a pharmacist from Phillip’s in Mauston, who reviews the medications and answers any questions.

Mile Bluff’s Director of Public Relations Kathy Behnke noted that many prescriptions can be filled right at the dispensing centers, and others will be available for pick-up the next business day.

While the eight staff members currently employed at Raabe’s will still have a job, not all will remain at the pharmacy. Other positions within Mile Bluff will be offered to those who are not needed at the new location. Bartels could not say whether or not employees would have a choice in where they would be moved.

“This is a business decision, I know, but do you get that this smarts?” resident Nanette Vetsche said. “What we have right now is a drugstore where you can go in and talk to a pharmacist who knows you and might know your family. We went there because of Tom and Mike Raabe… Now, it’ll be a part of a clinic that you may or may not go to.”

The pharmacy will once again be open on Saturdays, matching the clinic’s hours. Raabe’s originally reduced its weekend schedule due to not having enough pharmacists to cover shifts. There will also be a drive-thru installed at the New Lisbon clinic.

“We are very, very aware that not everybody that goes to the pharmacy is a New Lisbon patient, so we want to make sure that’s accessible,” Bartels said.

Bartels was further criticized by employees and community members in the audience for the short notice of the meeting as well as announcing the sale of the building so close to the holidays.

“If this was in the works for quite some time, why were the staff informed just last week?” asked a Raabe’s employee who asked to be unnamed. “There was no communication at all from our director. Nothing.”

Mile Bluff upper staff countered that they didn’t want to inform employees before the decision was finalized. The building had only recently been sold to the Fun Company, prompting the community forum. Bartels referred to the transaction as a “partnership,” adding that the sale was made to ensure that a viable business remained downtown in New Lisbon.

“There are many reasons why the board and administration decided to even talk about it. The lack of pharmacists in this area is drastically affecting our patient population,” Chief Nursing Officer Rhonda Larson stated. “We made decisions and had to move forward before it was even logical for us to start a building plan.”

The next steps for the relocation include the final sale of the building, remodeling the New Lisbon Family Medical Center to accommodate Raabe’s and a discussion regarding inventory reductions. Some over-the-counter medications will be kept at the clinic following the guidance of providers, though the pharmacy’s retail offerings are expected to be cut.

A timeline for the closing of Raabe’s has not been established. Bartels cited supply-chain issues, referencing the construction of the new drive-thru.

“It’ll look different. It’ll be different,” she said. “I get it’s a legacy; it’s been there a long time. But we don’t know how we can keep it up.”