EOVAHCS Clinical Pharmacist Wins VA Stewardship Strong Competition
The Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System (EOVAHCS) is celebrating one of its own this month, as clinical pharmacist Christina Phillips, PharmD, has been named a winner in the national VA Stewardship Strong Competition.
The Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System (EOVAHCS) is celebrating one of its own this month, as clinical pharmacist Christina Phillips, PharmD, has been named a winner in the national VA Stewardship Strong Competition.
Phillips earned this recognition for developing a program that brings post-hospital intravenous (IV) antibiotic care back into the hands of the VA team. Previously, Veterans requiring continued IV antibiotics after discharge had their care—such as lab testing, medication production, and monitoring—managed by outside vendors. Under Phillips’ leadership, those essential services are now coordinated internally by EOVAHCS staff.
This shift not only ensures seamless continuity of care for Veterans but has also resulted in significant cost savings. In its first year, the initiative is saving the health care system an estimated half a million dollars. Not only were taxpayer dollars saved with this initiative, but veteran satisfaction was kept at the highest priority during the transition. 42 patient satisfaction surveys were completed in FY25 and 98% of patients gave a 5 star review and were very satisfied with the VA Home IV service.
“Having these services managed by our in-house VA team means Veterans receive the highest quality, most personalized care possible, and we’re able to reinvest our savings directly back into Veteran services,” said Dr. Brian Jones, Chief of Pharmacy at EOVAHCS. “Christina’s innovative vision has set a new standard for stewardship and excellence.”
The VA Stewardship Strong Competition highlights individuals and teams leading the way in safe, effective, and innovative use of antimicrobials. By recognizing projects like Phillips’, VA underscores its commitment to Veteran health and responsible use of resources.
Christina Phillips, Pharm.D., is an Infectious Disease Clinical Pharmacy Specialist who currently serves as the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Manager at the Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System and provides Outpatient Infectious Disease Clinical Pharmacy Services including Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT), HIV and HIV PrEP services, Hepatitis C treatment monitoring, and general ID services.