High-Tech Med Vending Machines Fill South Side Pharmacy Desert At Advocate Trinity

CHICAGO — Advocate Health Care is among the first in the area to deploy high-tech prescription vending machines to dispense essential medications. The machines are part of a bold $1 billion investment to transform health care and close the 30-year life expectancy gap on Chicago’s South Side.

The new machines will be available at Advocate Trinity Hospital on the city’s South Side, Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, and the Advocate Medical Group outpatient clinic at Imani Village. They reflect direct community feedback and support Advocate’s work to reimagine care delivery on the South Side.

These innovative devices allow clinicians to easily send prescriptions to the machine for immediate care needs treating conditions like the flu, bacterial infections and gastrointestinal issues. Physicians will also use the machines can also dispense maintenance medications for chronic illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure and asthma. Patients can then conveniently pick up their medications right after their appointment or upon discharge from the hospital.

This initiative modernizes pharmacy access and strengthens care for chronic conditions, particularly in Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods, where major pharmacy retailers have closed.

“Introducing these prescription vending machines will help expand access to important medications and take steps towards addressing the pharmacy desert plaguing our community,” said Dr. Michelle Y. Blakely in a news release, president of Advocate Trinity and South Suburban hospitals. “We’re not just expanding access – we're using technology to meet patients where they are and removing barriers that have stood in the way of better health.”

Once a prescription is sent by an Advocate Health Care provider, patients can speak virtually with a licensed pharmacist at an Advocate Pharmacy retail location and conveniently pick up their medication from the vending machine. To support ongoing care, patients are then encouraged to order refills through Advocate Pharmacy's mail-order service.

“These vending machines are a great resource for our patients to conveniently get their medications,” said Dr. Julie Taylor, a family medicine physician with Advocate Health Care. “We often hear from patients about the struggles they have to get immediate care and maintenance medications, and these machines will help reduce those barriers.”

The prescription vending machines at Advocate Trinity Hospital and the clinic at Imani Village are open now. The machine at Advocate South Suburban in Hazel Crest will open later this year.