NaphCare Perspectives: Q&A with Darrelle Knight, Chief Pharmacist

NaphCare is proud to announce that our Chief Pharmacist, Darrelle Knight, PharMD, MSM, CCHP, has been recognized as one of Birmingham Business Journal’s 2024 Women to Watch. This honor reflects Darrelle's unwavering commitment to excellence and her passion for our mission—to improve and save lives.

Darrelle joined NaphCare as a pharmacist in 2008 and now leads our fully owned and operated pharmacy, NaphCare Rx, which is dedicated solely to our partner correctional facilities. As head of pharmacy, she oversees formulary implementation and management, pharmacy clinical CQI initiatives, pharmacotherapy, and wholesale distribution management. She directs a team of over 30 individuals in NaphCare’s in-house pharmacy while also managing NaphCare Wholesale Distribution and NaphCare 340B Pharmacy.

Our in-house pharmacy is located on the same campus as our corporate office and provides complete pharmacy services, including management, record keeping, and delivery, in compliance with all state and federal regulatory policies and procedures. NaphCare Rx goes beyond simply dispensing medications; our highly-qualified NaphCare Rx pharmacists are an essential part of our clinical team. From electronic medication orders and secure delivery to pharmacy consultation and review, NaphCare has integrated the pharmacy team into each aspect of our Proactive Care Model to contribute to the overall well-being and health of our patients.

In our conversation with Darrelle, she spoke about her career and leadership experience at NaphCare, as well as NaphCare's innovative approach to correctional healthcare:

1. What was your path to NaphCare?

Prior to joining NaphCare, all of my full-time experience was in hospital pharmacy. When I heard about NaphCare through a colleague, I thought the company sounded interesting and submitted my résumé even though there wasn’t an opening. I was working at Children’s Hospital at the time and really enjoyed what I was doing, but I was open to other opportunities. About two years later, I was called for an interview. Sixteen years later, joining NaphCare is still one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career.

2. What helps you succeed in your demanding role?

God, Team NaphCare, and NaphCare’s mission. As a woman of faith, I have to give God all of the credit. I can only take credit for the mistakes. I honestly don’t consider the role demanding because I am blessed to work with such a great team in the pharmacy and all of NaphCare. I show up every day looking for the best outcomes for our patients and our team. Everything else falls into place.

3. Which of NaphCare’s core values aligns best with your leadership style?

We Treat Everyone How We Want to Be Treated. When I joined the company, I quickly realized patient care and dignity are high priorities for NaphCare. I know it sounds naïve, but I truly believe that people rise to your level of expectation. I don’t get it right every day, but I try to appreciate the value everyone I encounter brings to my life each day.

4. Who is a mentor for you, and what have you learned from him or her?

I have to credit two mentors. My mom is my all-time hero for the way she embodies faith, strength, and love. Jim McLane, NaphCare’s founder and owner, has become my involuntary mentor. He has taught me that an imperfect plan beats no plan at all. When you are hyper-focused on the mission, your imperfect plan continues to evolve into a better plan as you move forward. I’ve made mistakes, but Jim (and Brad McLane, our CEO) have helped me stay encouraged and keep moving forward.

5. In your interview with BBJ, you spoke to the goal of continuing to develop "systems that set NaphCare Pharmacy apart from other pharmacies in our industry." What are some of the systems and/or programs you'd like to pioneer and implement?

I would really like NaphCare Pharmacy to become the first pharmacy in the corrections industry with bi-directional communication with patients via telemedicine and/or messaging services. Our pharmacy team could be a valuable resource in identifying why some patients are not compliant with their medication, and then helping them understand their treatments and the importance of compliance.

I would also like to develop and implement a pharmacy technician program for NaphCare that is unique to and designed for NaphCare and NaphCare Rx. I envision developing curriculum to help get people get licensed, certified, and trained specifically to work for NaphCare. Our pharmacy program and our patients’ needs are so specific that it would be amazing to have technicians who already understand our mission and the innerworkings of NaphCare’s pharmacy. I’d like to partner with or recruit from local junior colleges to give opportunities to those who never really imagined they could have a career in healthcare—and the real dream would be to pilot a similar program from within one of our state Department of Corrections (DOC) partner facilities, in order to provide the incarcerated population with professional training and a way to succeed when they reenter the community.

6. As NaphCare grows as a company, how will NaphCare Rx continue to adapt to meet the needs of our increasing patient population?

Technology. TechCare, NaphCare’s corrections-specific electronic health record, is NaphCare Rx’s most important tool. We are currently working with the TechCare team to incorporate more pharmacy functions in TechCare to increase the efficacy of our pharmacy and nursing services. While the pharmacy team does an incredible job of filling and shipping hundreds of thousands of prescriptions each month, my goal is to find (or develop) software and machinery to reduce some of the manual efforts we currently use, so that our staff can provide more efficient care for our patient population.

7. What is the most promising thing happening in correctional healthcare right now?

Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals for correctional healthcare as an industry does not change much. Because of this, NaphCare Rx is blazing its own trail in the correctional pharmaceutical industry. For example, we created NaphCare Wholesale Distribution, LLC, so we can negotiate pricing with drug manufacturers and pass the savings on to our client partners.

We also recently completed implementation of a clean room so we can compound our own IV and infusion treatments, which are often necessary to treat complex medical conditions. Traditionally, infusion services, including chemotherapy, require multiple sessions and frequent visits to specialized infusion centers, or involve extra days in a hospital setting. By providing infusion services onsite, NaphCare can reduce the need for offsite transport and significantly shorten the duration of many patients’ hospital stays. Similarly, we are vertically integrated with STATCare, NaphCare’s 24/7 telehealth service, and other providers, so our patients have the best outcomes. And this is just the beginning!