Local health official advises how to plan with medications before Hurricane Dorian

With Hurricane Dorian still tracked to make impact with Florida, Channel 9 spoke with a local health official to discuss options one could take with their medications during a storm

While smaller pharmacies will close during a storm, larger hospitals like AdventHealth have access to critical power with staff that stays overnight for potential emergencies.

Larger pharmacies may increase their inventory to make sure there are enough medications for patients, but health officials advise having a two-week supply of medicine already at home.

"You want to ensure that you have some type of cooler that can at least sustain the medications for at least a week or two," said Howard Smith, the director of AdventHealth's outpatient pharmacy.

Smith said it doesn't hurt to go ahead and get refills on your prescriptions in advance.

"You have to complete at least 75 percent before you get an early refill when the governor has declared a case of emergency," said Smith. "However, it requires all insurance companies that are registered with the state to allow patients to get early refills."

Smith also suggests having a first-aid kit ready with necessities like pain medication, ointments and bandages.

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Cox Media Group