Twin County Regional Healthcare Unveils Sterile Compounding Room

Twin County Regional Healthcare Unveils Sterile Compounding Room

Galax, Virginia (March 13, 2025) – Twin County Regional Healthcare has taken a major step forward in patient care and medication safety with the completion of a its Sterile Compounding Room (IV Room). This upgrade, made possible by a $1 million investment from LifePoint Health, enhances compliance with evolving healthcare regulations while streamlining the sterile medication compounding process.

The new IV room, which meets stringent United States Pharmacopeia 797 standards for sterile compounding, significantly extends the shelf life of compounded IV medications. Previously, refrigerated IV solutions had to be used within 24 hours, requiring meticulous planning and frequent preparation. Now, medications can safely be stored for up to nine days, improving efficiency and ensuring timely treatment for patients.

Twin County Regional Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Sudandra Ratnasamy said, “At TCRH, we are always looking for ways to enhance the quality of care we provide. This new IV room is a testament to that to our patients. It not only improves efficiency for our staff, but more importantly, ensures the safest and highest-quality treatments for our patients. We are grateful to LifePoint Health for their investment in our hospital and community.”

The IV room has an electronic controller interface, which enables adjustments with the touch of a button. All critical data is displayed on a single screen, simplifying monitoring, and ensuring precision. The system’s advanced filtration, lighting, and a new dedicated air handling unit installed on the hospital’s roof provide an ultra-sterile environment for medication preparation.

“This is a game-changer for our hospital,” said Frank Harmon, Executive Director of Pharmacy and Support Services. “The ability to prepare and store IV medications for longer periods allows us to better serve our patients, reduce waste, and operate more efficiently. With our previous IV room, our team had to constantly manage timing and preparation, but we made it work. Now, this new facility allows us to do even more for our community.”

The project, which began in July and concluded in late December, faced a few challenges along the way. Final approvals were secured at the end of January, marking the completion of an effort that required collaboration between engineers, architects, contractors, and hospital leadership.

“We knew this was an ambitious project, and there were times when we weren’t sure how it would all come together,” Harmon said. “But thanks to the dedication of our team and the investment from LifePoint Health, we now have a facility that will serve our community for years to come.”

As part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, Twin County Regional Healthcare remains committed to advancing its mission. This investment reflects a broader initiative to provide high-quality, safe, and efficient care to the region.

About Twin County Regional Healthcare:

Twin County Regional Hospital (TCRH) is the flagship of the Twin County Regional Healthcare delivery system, a Duke LifePoint Healthcare affiliate, centered on the mission “Making Communities Healthier®.  The hospital is in Galax, Virginia, the center of the Twin Counties of Grayson and Carroll Counties in Southwest Virginia.  Twin County Regional Hospital has been the anchor and the region’s leader of healthcare for over 50 years offering services such as acute care, inpatient behavioral health, cardiac rehab/cardio direct, cardiology, cardiopulmonary services, chronic disease management, diagnostic imaging, emergency services, intensive care, lab/lab direct, occupational health, orthopedics, rehabilitation services, stroke center, surgical services, neurology, urology, women’s health and birthing center and many other services. For additional information, please call 276.236.8181 or visit www.TCRH.org or find TCRH on Facebook.

###