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Join us in delivering our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country. As a member of the team, you’ll play an integral role in improving our customers’ quality of life and redefining what’s possible in pharmacy. 

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Blog | Alto Pharmacy

In this interview, Alto's third engineer shares how her background and experiences, from her nomadic upbringing to serving as student body president in college, led her to where she is today at Alto.

Building an Engineering Career at Alto 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Elnaz joined as Alto’s third software engineer in 2016, coming from Lob. She has since gone on to shape Alto’s culture and recruiting efforts and rose to become an Engineering Manager. In this interview, she shares how her background and experiences, from her nomadic upbringing to serving as student body president in college, led her to where she is today.

You’ve lived in 8 cities spanning 5 countries and 3 continents! Tell me more about that and how it shaped you?

My family started moving around from a really early age. My dad was a chemical engineering professor in Iran for around 25 years. When my siblings started going to college in the United States, we started moving around to pay for their college tuition. He did a sabbatical in Australia (where I learned English!), a short stint at his alma mater Oklahoma State, time at a research institute in Kuwait, and a few other locations. 

As a result, I’ve been exposed to such extremes in my life in moving from the Middle East to Oklahoma, or between Chicago and San Francisco. I’ve just been exposed to such a variety of people that’s allowed me to both blend in with a lot of different folks, but also be able to be a bridge and a translator. Regardless of whether it's in work or my personal life, I think “passionate” is maybe the most consistent way I would describe myself. I'm either passionate about the work I'm doing or passionate about getting outside for camping and traveling. There's an intensity in all aspects of my life. 

From my past roles, I realized I loved working on cross-functional problems. I stumbled across Alto, eventually realizing that working cross-functionally was such a unique and fundamental opportunity with this company. We would not succeed if engineering sat in one corner and operations in another - we had to work together. The other piece was that I knew I wanted to work on something more meaningful. I felt like I was able to close the loop on what started off my career – working in civic tech and on public interest projects – and do that as a more effective person in the healthcare business. Finally, I wanted to learn more about the business side of things. What I learned in my first job out of school was that nonprofits and civic tech are great, but they don’t work unless you can fund them. I really wanted to find businesses that were viable and also added value.

You were Alto’s third engineer. What was that like?

In retrospect, it was fantastic. I was able to shape the culture, see the evolution of the company, and develop a lot of relationships. For example, I was really passionate about engineering being a partner to the rest of the organization and for us to go into the trenches to understand how the frontlines use our product to figure out how to make things better. I was given a lot of unique opportunities, including working on recruiting to make sure we were building a more equitable interview process, and also ensuring that folks are successful once they got here. I was able to influence Alto’s diversity and inclusion efforts and grow as a leader to pave the path for more people after me.

How was the transition from engineer to management like for you?

The first feeling was just sheer excitement. So much of what I’d been passionate about up until then had been done on the side: building an onboarding program for new hires, building out better interview questions, improving our on-call process. Becoming a manager was validation of how things that I'm good at are not just pure engineering skills, but also things that make engineering more effective. I'd been worried about being perceived as not technical enough, or that the soft skills didn’t matter, and it really validated that what I wanted to work on was valued. The second feeling was, “How do I actually know if I'm doing a good job?” I think that's one of the hardest things when you first become a manager. 

As an engineer, you have these tight feedback loops: you build something, the test runs, and you see the product and the impact. As a manager, you might have a conversation or make one comment to someone only to find out months later what the actual impact of that comment was on the person. I had to get accustomed to slower feedback loops and being more comfortable with less structure.

You were your college’s student government president. Tell me more about that and how it relates to what you do now?

What I quickly learned from that position was that defusing tense situations was my superpower. When there were disagreements between the students and the university, I felt like I could speak to both sides and bridge the gap. That was the first time I really began to appreciate my upbringing of having been exposed to a lot of different cultures and different people. This becomes relevant in basically every intersection at work: how engineering and operations relate to each other, how engineering and design relate to each other, or being able to see different perspectives within the same discipline. 

In particular, I think it was helpful for me to spend time with a design and development firm because I saw the anxiety that designers can have around not solving the problem at the core or being forced to make sacrifices about the fidelity of their solution. Now when I'm working with a designer I make sure they understand when I’m talking about velocity, but I can also put that hat aside and talk about what's possible given a longer timeframe. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I've always felt like I've seesawed between coming on too strong or being too shy. The advice I received was to not think about them as binary aspects, but rather celebrate that I have both of those attributes. So when I was weighing the idea of whether I’m really great at people management, does that make me less of a technical person? Or if I'm technical, does that mean I can't be good at the people side of things? I think this advice was really helpful for me to stop seeing it as an either-or choice and recognize I can be great at both. It makes me think of a clip of Dave Chappelle where he talks about advice that his mom gave him that really resonates with me. His mom told him, “Sometimes you gotta be a lion so you can be the lamb you really are.”	

What are you most excited about at Alto in the next year?

Personally, I’m most excited for my parents to be able to use Alto as we expand our service areas so they understand what I've been doing the past three years! Professionally, I'm excited about the big dent we can make in technical scalability, as well as making it easier for our operations team to provide a consistently excellent patient experience.

If you have any questions about Alto, or are interested in joining our team, please reach out via LinkedIn.

Senior Manager, Engineering at Alto Pharmacy

The first two members of our Advisory Board are Dr. James Hildreth and Jennifer Kent. Their years of experience as leaders in the healthcare industry will be invaluable to us as we continue to grow.

Alto Pharmacy's newly formed Advisory Board launches today with two anchor team members.

Since our launch in 2015, Alto has been committed to fulfilling medicine’s true purpose, and improving quality of life, for everyone who needs it. Today, we announce our newly formed Advisory Board and our first two anchor members, who will help guide Alto towards our mission, advise on key decisions, and support strategic initiatives. We’ve formed the Advisory Board to support our leadership as we navigate the regulatory landscape, launch new features to modernize the pharmacy experience, and adhere to the highest standards of operational excellence and patient care.

The first two members of our Advisory Board are Dr. James Hildreth and Jennifer Kent. Their years of experience as leaders in the healthcare industry will be invaluable to us as we continue to grow. 

Dr. Hildreth is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Meharry Medical College, one of the nation’s oldest and largest private historically Black academic health sciences centers. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, his Ph.D. in immunology from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was the first Black American in the 125-year history of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to earn full professorship with tenure and is internationally known for his influential HIV research.


Jennifer Kent served as the Director for the California Department of Health Care Services, where she led the second largest public healthcare system in the nation, with an annual budget of over $100B and serving over 13 million Californians. She oversaw the administration of 24 managed care plans as well as 56 county behavioral health plans. She has also held leadership roles in the Health & Human Services Agency, Governor's Office and has experience in the private sector as a lobbyist, consultant, and association executive. She has more than 15 years of health administration and policy experience in California.

This is an important milestone for Alto, and we look forward to working closely with Dr. Hildreth and Jennifer on the future of Alto. 

Today, we announce our newly formed Advisory Board and our first two anchor members, who will help guide Alto towards our mission, advise on key decisions, and support strategic initiatives.

Announcing Alto’s Advisory Board

Alto is committed to ensuring affordable, timely access to medications and full-service pharmacy coverage, including specialty medications for the treatment of complex and chronic conditions.

Hims & Hers, the direct-to-consumer digital health company, has partnered with Alto Pharmacy to offer free, same-day courier medication delivery for customers accessing primary care services through its growing telehealth platform. 

Patients using the Hims & Hers platform to access primary care services in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, Seattle, Las Vegas and Denver-Boulder communities will have the option to select Alto as their preferred pharmacy for prescription delivery. Prescriptions for patients selecting Alto will flow automatically to Alto for fulfillment, and patients can use the Alto app to select their preferred date and time for free home delivery, review copay and medication info, and message a pharmacist with any questions. 

“At Alto, we’re constantly looking for new ways to improve the healthcare and pharmacy experience and we’re excited to partner with Hims & Hers to offer free, same-day courier medication delivery for their patients,” says Omar Nagji, Vice President of Enterprise at Alto Pharmacy. “Our partnership with Hims & Hers offers patients control, discretion, and pharmacist access without making a trip to a doctor’s office or pharmacy.”

“Hims & Hers is a natural partner to Alto’s courier-based platform,” says Melissa Baird, COO of Hims & Hers. “We’re excited to work with Alto to bring the ease and convenience of their same-day delivery experience to those using Hims & Hers to access primary care services."

Streamlined digital healthcare services are more critical than ever as patients look to balance healthcare needs with social distancing considerations, and are key to expanding access to traditionally underserved communities. Alto is committed to ensuring affordable, timely access to medications and full-service pharmacy coverage, including specialty medications for the treatment of complex and chronic conditions.

Hims & Hers customers using Alto will get full access to Alto’s exceptional care and services: price investigation and automatic coupon application, easy access to chat with a pharmacist, medication reminders and other support tools, and the option to streamline all medications for the household into one easy delivery. Alto’s safe, secure courier delivery is always free.

Hims & Hers Partners with Alto for Same-Day Prescription Delivery for Primary Care Patients

Jaime Tolbert is a Patient Care Pharmacist based out of Alto’s Denver office. Here she shares what drew her to Alto and how the company is fulfilling its mission to be a better pharmacy.

Delivering the Best Care

Jaime Tolbert is a Patient Care Pharmacist based out of Alto’s Denver office. Here she shares what drew her to Alto and how the company is fulfilling its mission to be a better pharmacy. 

Prior to Alto, I worked in retail pharmacy for 13 years. My patients were the best part of my practice and helping them live healthier and happier lives was very fulfilling. When our company was bought out by CVS, there was a shift from caring about people and their health to a very task based environment. Spending the majority of my day on administrative work, being timed to finish each task, and not having time to really engage with my patients was devastating to me as a health care professional, and my work became less meaningful. One of my former colleagues had taken a position at Alto and shared how much she loved the company and its values. She offered to introduce me around and show me first hand what it was like to work here. I found that Alto puts their patients above all, and really cares about both the people they serve, and their employees. They are open to new ideas and changes, and really listen when you have thoughts and ideas about how to better serve our community or improve processes. 

Coming to Alto meant leaving behind my “family” of patients whom I loved and had worked with for years. Although this was a difficult decision, it is one I would make again in a heartbeat. This company is making a real change in pharmacy and in healthcare. After 6 months, I can honestly say I love to come to work, and I am so thankful every day for the opportunity to be part of something that is changing the face of healthcare. (And, as Alto expands our services in Denver, I am hopeful to bring many of those wonderful people to our company and offer them the personalized care they deserve.)

Working for Alto has brought me back to the reason that I became a pharmacist…to help people and to make a difference. My primary role is to focus on our patients- making sure they understand their medications, have a resource for information to answer all of their questions, and to give them the care that they deserve while keeping them safe from drug interactions or other medical issues. 

As patient care pharmacists, we are problem solvers, detectives, drug information resources, and caring providers of health and wellness to our patients. Regardless of what we do, we want to make sure we are acting in the best interest of the patient. There are instances in which people call in late at night with medication issues such as: their fertility medication has not been stored correctly and they need their injection right away, or their injection did not go as expected and they don’t know how to proceed. In these moments, we have to do some detective work and figure out if the drug is OK to use or not, or make judgement calls on the best course of action for these patients. It can be difficult to remain calm when patients are panicked or confused, but it’s our job to be a voice of reason, a sense of calm in the storm for the patient.

In the 13 years I spent in retail pharmacy, I wasn’t able to go nearly as in-depth with patient care as I do at Alto. In the retail setting, you perform all aspects of the job from start to finish mostly on your own, often within a strict time limit. At Alto, the company has separated the pharmacist role into two teams: a production team and a patient care team. The production pharmacists get to focus solely on medication preparation and inventory management while the patient care pharmacists can focus on patient consultations and clinical recommendations.

We definitely still try to work efficiently, but we have the luxury to take a 30-45 minute phone call to consult our patients and comfort them, if necessary. Some of the medications that we administer, like our fertility meds, can be really overwhelming. We have the benefit of taking time to walk patients through tough moments like their first injection, which is especially helpful on evenings and weekends when their doctor isn’t available.

Unlike the retail setting, all of Alto’s patient care interactions are done through phone calls or secure message via our app. This model presents a lot of benefits including more privacy for the patient/pharmacist conversation.  Another benefit is the ability to reference those dialogues with the pharmacy in the event, for example, the patient forgets how the pharmacist advised to take the medication. The model also forces our team to really focus on every aspect of our messaging. We work hard to tailor both how we speak to patients and how we draft messages to ensure our patients feel a strong sense of empathy and can understand their instructions clearly. Our team also shares one voice. If a patient speaks with me about their defective medication on Tuesday, and that patient is then put in touch with one of my colleagues the following Wednesday, they will receive the same quality care and same customer service, and my colleague will have all of their most current information in detailed notes. 

Another unique factor about Alto is the team dynamic. There are 20 patient care pharmacists between the Denver and San Francisco offices. Working alongside other pharmacists every day, I’ve been able to learn so much about pharmacy that I didn’t know before. In a retail setting you're the lone individual making decisions and calls based on your interpretation of a situation.  Now, I have this entire team with varying perspectives to bounce ideas off of or go to for advice if something comes up that I have never dealt with before.

Our supervisors at Alto are also very skilled in identifying their employees’ strengths and inviting them to work on new projects. I really enjoy explaining things to people, so I’ve helped to re-write the training program for our patient care pharmacists; everything from surveys of how my team thinks we should train, to the training schedule, to physical training guides to help develop our new PCPs. That’s an opportunity I never would have had in traditional retail and I am grateful for the opportunity to help expand and train our team. I feel like working as a team is a great way to grow as a pharmacist, and ultimately benefits our patients which is why we are here.

Delivering the Best Care: Why a Veteran Pharmacist Chose to Join the Alto Team 

Marsha Green is a courier with Alto's San Francisco pharmacy. She has been delivering medications to Alto patients for two years. Most recently, as the COVID-19 crisis hit the Bay Area, Marsha has also helped pick up and deliver donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals.

I am a courier at Alto and deliver medications to people at their homes. I’ve been working at Alto as a delivery courier for two years, and I love it - Alto is an awesome company.

The patients are really appreciative, too, which makes my job easier since I mostly interact with patients who are receiving deliveries. Alto goes 110% because the patients know that they wouldn’t have the medicine they need without us, and they show appreciation all the time. It makes me smile when I see how grateful the patients are when they get their delivery.

Is it true you have a family member who also works with Alto?

Yes! Working at Alto is a family affair. My oldest son also works as a courier for Alto. He was working for Alto in Las Vegas and just recently transferred to work here in the Bay Area as a courier. I am a native from San Francisco, and I have three grown boys. It’s fun to be working with my son.

We have entered a new era amid the COVID-19 crisis. How has that impacted you personally and at work?

At first I felt really sad that we are going through this, but I think that everyone in this city is doing everything they can to slow it down.

I’m taking care to make sure I am protecting my health and the health of our customers by wearing gloves and a mask. Alto has been good about setting up procedures to protect me and our customers where I can do a no-contact delivery. Patients are doing their part to follow protocol, and I appreciate that the patients and Alto both do their part to keep me safe.

It’s also been nice to help out by picking up and delivering donations of masks and things for local hospitals.

How have you been supporting Alto’s PPE donation initiative?

When Alto announced their program to pick up PPE donations, I signed up to help. I’ve been picking up donations of masks, gloves and more supplies from individuals around the Bay Area and then delivering them to hospitals. I’ve done about fifty pick-ups of donations over the past couple of weeks.

Every time I drop off donations, the healthcare workers are just ecstatic. It makes me feel good inside that I am doing some good.

I have a funny story related to the donation deliveries. Each day when I pick up the donations I am told where to drop off based on which hospital has the highest need. One day last week I was asked to drop off the PPE donations at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco. My mom worked at St. Mary’s for 32 years and my son, Jason, was the last baby born there. When he was born, they put out a newsletter with a photo of my mom, me and Jason to announce the closure of their pediatrics center. It was so amazing to me that this was all coming full circle when I was asked to deliver donations to them. It brought back good memories and was such a funny coincidence.

I know a lot of folks are losing their jobs right now, and I am grateful to be able to keep doing my work with Alto and helping people out. A lot of patients are really appreciative and have been doing things like leaving out drinks and snacks and masks for me as their delivery person to say thanks. It feels good to have this impact right now.

Learn more about Alto or to sign up for Alto for your prescription delivery here. 
For anyone looking to donate PPE, learn more about Alto’s program here. To request a pickup of donations, fill out this form.

An Altoid Profile: How Marsha Delivers Impact Daily

Alto’s expansion brings free daily doorstep delivery of medications to Seattle metro area residents

Starting Wednesday, April 15, residents of the Seattle metro area can now choose Alto’s same-day doorstep delivery for their pharmacy needs. 

At Alto, we believe it’s our job to ensure you have your medications at the best price, on time and with the support you need. We bring pharmacy to you - no more waiting in line, making an extra trip, or finding out your prescription isn’t ready to be picked up after you’ve already arrived. Our free doorstep delivery means your medications come directly to you on the day and time you select, and most medications are available the same-day. Stay up to date on your courier’s progress with text alerts or in our mobile app. 

Starting a new medication or doing an injection for the first time? Message a pharmacist with your questions, even in the evenings and on weekends. And we’re a full service pharmacy - we stock all major brand, generic, over-the-counter and specialty medications, meaning your entire family’s pharmacy needs can be managed in the Alto app and coordinated into one delivery.

12:30 - 3:30 pm PT (1:30 pm - 4:30 pm PT for outlying area)

6:00 - 9:00 pm PT (6:30 pm - 9:30 pm PT for outlying area)

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm PT (2:30 pm - 5:30 pm PT for outlying areas)

Seattle area residents interested in using Alto’s services for their medication needs can ask their doctor’s office to send all prescriptions to Alto Pharmacy (via ePrescribe, phone or fax). Have existing prescriptions at another pharmacy? Start a transfer online or give us a call at 1 (800) 874-5881, and we’ll handle the switch.

Alto is proud to be growing in Seattle, and we’re committed to bringing exceptional care to our families, neighbors, friends and fellow healthcare professionals. Our Seattle location allows us to provide a better pharmacy experience to the hundreds of thousands of residents who call this area home.

“I know that the Seattle community is going to love both the convenience of Alto’s delivery and high quality service that Alto’s team provides,” says Betty Cheung, Pharmacist in Charge of Alto’s Seattle location. “As a pharmacist and healthcare professional, I’m particularly glad more residents will now have access to our contact-free delivery model - it’s the safest choice for medication needs during our current shelter-in-place period for COVID-19.”

Once things get back to normal and we’re all moving out and about, come say hello! Stop by during our in-person pickup hours to meet Betty and the team. We're located at 13010 NE 20th Street, Suite 200 in Bellevue.

General customer support hours are Monday - Friday 6 am - 9 pm PT and Saturday - Sunday 7 am - 6 pm PT. Patients can reach out to Alto via phone at 1 (800) 874-5881 or app.

Founded in 2015, Alto is a patient-centric digital pharmacy based committed to the health and wellbeing of you and your family. We provide free same-day delivery to your door seven days a week for prescriptions, but, more importantly, offer cost transparency, personalized in-app and phone support, and real-time coordination with doctors and insurance companies to get you the care that you need. Alto is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver and Dallas, and currently delivers across the greater Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.

Alto’s expansion brings free daily doorstep delivery of medications to Las Vegas metro area residents

Starting Wednesday, April 15, residents of the Las Vegas metro area can now choose Alto’s same-day doorstep delivery for their pharmacy needs. 

Las Vegas area residents interested in using Alto’s services for their medication needs can ask their doctor’s office to send all prescriptions to Alto Pharmacy (via ePrescribe, phone or fax). Have existing prescriptions at another pharmacy? Start a transfer online or give us a call at 1 (800) 874-5881, and we’ll handle the switch.

Alto is proud to be growing in Las Vegas, and we’re committed to bringing exceptional care to our families, neighbors, friends and fellow healthcare professionals. Our Las Vegas location allows us to provide a better pharmacy experience to the hundreds of thousands of residents who call this area home.

“The Las Vegas community deserves something different when it comes to pharmacy, and Alto’s model can really make a difference,” says Bang Le, Pharmacist in Charge of Alto’s Las Vegas location. “As a pharmacist and healthcare professional, I’m particularly glad more residents will now have access to our contact-free delivery model - it’s the safest choice for medication needs during our current shelter-in-place period for COVID-19.”

Once things get back to normal and we’re all moving out and about, come say hello! Stop by during our in-person pickup hours to meet Bang and the team. We're located at 600 E Pilot Road, Suite A.

Alto’s expansion brings free daily doorstep delivery of medications to Denver-Boulder metro area residents

Starting Wednesday, April 15, residents of the Denver-Boulder metro area can now choose Alto’s same-day doorstep delivery for their pharmacy needs. 

12:30pm-3:30pm MT in Denver and 1:30pm-4:30pm MT for Boulder and outlying areas

6-9 pm MT in Denver and 7-10 pm MT for Boulder and outlying areas

Weekends: 2 – 5 pm MT in Denver, 3 - 6 pm MT for Boulder and outlying areas

Monday - Friday: 9 – 7 pm MT
Saturday: 8 am – 4:30 pm MT 

Denver and Boulder area residents interested in using Alto’s services for their medication needs can ask their doctor’s office to send all prescriptions to Alto Pharmacy (via ePrescribe, phone or fax). Have existing prescriptions at another pharmacy? Start a transfer online or give us a call at 1 (800) 874-5881, and we’ll handle the switch.

Alto is proud to call Denver our second home. Our HQ2, located in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood, employs more than 225 area residents in pharmacy, operations, finance, engineering, and customer support. We’re committed to bringing exceptional care to our families, neighbors, friends and fellow healthcare professionals. 

“As a member of the Denver community, I’m excited to bring the Alto pharmacy experience to my neighbors and family,” says Andrew Storjohann, Pharmacist in Charge of Alto’s Denver location. “As a pharmacist and healthcare professional, I’m particularly glad more residents will now have access to our contact-free delivery model - it’s the safest choice for medication needs during our current shelter-in-place period for COVID-19.”

Once things get back to normal and we’re all moving out and about, come say hello! Stop by during our in-person pickup hours to meet Andrew and the team. We're located at 929 Broadway in downtown Denver.

General customer support hours are Monday - Friday 7 am - 10 pm MT and Saturday - Sunday 8 am - 7 pm MT. Patients can reach out to Alto via phone at 1 (800) 874-5881 or app.

When Christina heard there was a shortage of PPE at local hospitals she was looking for ways to donate. She was excited when Alto announced a program to pick-up donations directly from individuals via their courier fleet.  

How did you hear about the Alto initiative to pick-up donations of PPE and deliver to hospitals?

I use Alto for my pharmacy needs here in San Francisco. I used to work for a hospital system in Seattle, and I was hearing from my former colleagues that they were going out to hardware stores to buy masks because of shortages. Hearing about their experience made me want to support health workers here in San Francisco, but I didn’t know where to start.  

Due to COVID-19, I have been sheltering in place and looking for ways to support the community from home. Initially, I was just donating money to various food banks. When I heard there was a shortage of PPE and sanitization supplies for frontline healthcare workers here in SF, I wanted to be able to donate what I had, but didn’t know how to do that.  

When I received the email from Alto about the PPE drive, I was excited to be able to use Alto’s courier fleet to pick-up and deliver my donations. I forwarded the announcement to my entire company and posted it on my Instagram to share with friends. 

I donated sanitizing spray bottles, sanitizing wipes and masks.  I didn’t need the volume of supplies I had at home when there is a more urgent need for these supplies at hospitals.

How was the experience of signing up and scheduling a pick-up?

It was super easy to sign up and schedule the donation pick-up. I used the online scheduling form and then Alto kept me updated by text message about when the courier was coming to my apartment. I tracked the driver’s location in real-time which was great because I was able to leave the package of supplies in my downstairs lobby without any contact with the courier. The whole experience was super easy and safe.

How had you previously interacted with Alto, if at all?

I heard about Alto when I did a round of egg freezing last summer. After using Alto for my fertility medications, I switched all of my standard prescriptions to Alto as well.

It’s been a great experience using Alto. It’s easy to track medications and request renewals; scheduling delivery is always easy and reliable. It’s especially helpful right now as I am trying to stay home for shelter in place - Alto’s free home delivery is a resource that everyone should consider right now.

I think it’s so cool that Alto has collected all these masks and other supplies, and I hope others will consider donating!  Even after the pandemic crisis, I also hope Alto will continue to consider collection drives to collect goods for charity and leverage its network of couriers to serve the community.

The photo I shared is of me in Italy. I’ve been so sad seeing how Italy is being affected during this time, and I am dreaming of visiting in 2021 when it is safe to travel again.

For anyone looking to donate PPE, learn more about Alto’s program here. 

To request a pickup of donations, fill out this form.

Delivering Impact: How Alto Helped Me Donate PPE to San Francisco Hospitals

Mattieu Gamache-Asselin, Co-founder & CEO, and Jamie Karraker, Co-founder & CTO

Since our start as a community pharmacy here in San Francisco’s Mission District more than four years ago, Alto has remained committed to delivering on medicine’s true purpose — to improve quality of life for everyone who needs it. This mission, realized through doorstep medication delivery and remote access to pharmacists, is key to ensuring uninterrupted access to critical treatments and helping contain the community spread of COVID-19. 

In this period of uncertainty and change, here are our commitments to you:

We are here to serve you. We remain open for business at all locations, with delivery windows seven days a week and couriers at the ready. We’ve implemented a no-contact delivery protocol to ensure the safety of both our customers and our couriers. Our shelves are stocked with both common and specialty medications, and our pharmacists are available to answer your question by phone or secure message in our mobile app so you can stay at home. 

If you have family members, neighbors and friends in our service areas who would benefit from the safety of home delivery, please share Alto’s information with them. Our team is ready to assist with prescription transfers and insurance coordination, and most medications are available for same-day delivery. If for any reason we can’t fill your prescription, we’ll help you find a pharmacy that can.

None of this is possible without the hard work, long hours, flexibility, and dedication of our team. Every role at Alto is critical to ensuring our continued operational readiness, but our local pharmacy fulfillment teams and courier fleet gracefully take on additional risk to ensure prompt delivery of medications. To recognize these contributions, we are raising hourly pay for our frontline fulfillment team members by $2/hour, effective March 31st, for the duration of the stay-at-home order in their respective locations. We’re also providing a one-time bonus payment of $140 to members of our courier fleet on April 10th. 

We have the utmost respect for our healthcare colleagues working on the frontlines of treating this pandemic. We are partnering with doctors, nurses and clinic staff to assist with the transition to telemedicine care. We are carefully managing our supply chain to guard against potential shortages for your patients. And we are working with area health systems, governments and employers to make sure that Alto’s free doorstep medication delivery is available as an option to as many individuals as possible.

We’ve also leveraged our courier fleet to facilitate a personal protective equipment (PPE) drive in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, and Seattle. In just over a week, we’ve coordinated more than 100 donation pick-ups with more than 4,700 masks and respirators, 16,000 gloves, goggles, and cleaning supplies with delivery to area hospitals. 

We are honored to be your pharmacy partner and play a small role in ensuring the health and safety of our communities. 

Matt Gamache-Asselin and Jamie Karraker
Co-founders, Alto Pharmacy

Re-creating a Community Pharmacy in the Time of COVID-19

Alto's PPE donation pick-up drive adds more windows in San Francisco, launches donation pick-up windows in Seattle, Los Angeles and Orange County

Alto launched its inaugural PPE donation pick-up drive on Friday, March 27th. In just one week, our fleet of couriers has conducted more than 85 pick-ups of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical supplies. Thanks to the generosity of the greater San Francisco Bay Area community, more than 4,700 masks, 16,000 gloves and other supplies have been delivered to the medical staff working the front lines at facilities including San Ramon Regional Medical Center, St. Rose Hospital, Sutter Health Eden Medical Center ER, UCSF Mission Bay, Kaiser Oakland, and Washington Hospital. We are grateful for the partnership of the team at GetMePPE Bay Area for their guidance on ensuring the donations are addressing critical shortages throughout the community. The team at GetMePPE Bay Area has helped coordinate donations to all of the following area facilities:

Sutter Health,   Kaiser San Jose
Kaiser Redwood City,   San Ramon Regional Medical Center
St. Rose Hospital,   Palo Alto VA
Washington Hospital,   El Camino Hospital
UCSF,   Kaiser Regional - Diablo Marin Sonoma
Kaiser San Leandro,   Kaiser Oakland
Kaiser Richmond,   Kaiser Santa Clara
Kaiser Antioch,   Valley Medical Center Foundation
Kaiser Fremont,   Alameda Health System
Chinese Hospital,   Contra Costa County Health Services
Marin General Hospital,   Kaiser San Rafael
Stanford Medicine,   John Muir

Given the initial success of our Bay Area donation program, we are expanding this effort to our Los Angeles, Orange County and Seattle courier delivery zones. Health systems throughout these regions are experiencing a shortage of the PPE that healthcare workers need to stay safe while providing care for the increasing numbers of COVID-19 (coronavirus) patients. Donations will be retrieved by our Alto courier team and will go directly to the healthcare providers at hospitals throughout our communities. 

Unused disposable N95 respirators and surgical masks.*

Unopened containers of disinfectants and disinfectant wipes

*The packages can be opened, as long as the masks have not been used.

First, confirm that you are in our SF, Seattle, LA and OC courier zones here, and then complete this short form to request a donation pickup. 

Please print off this form and follow the instructions for placing the donation items in an enclosed bag. Label the bag "Alto Donation," include the form, and leave the donation bag in the designated safe place before the start of the scheduled pick-up window. An Alto courier will come to pick up the donations - no contact needed!

Wednesday, April 15 between 9 am and 1 pm

Requests must be made before 8pm on the evening before the window. Read more about the original donation drive and common FAQs here.

Connecting Crucial COVID-19 Supplies with Healthcare Workers

To the greater Alto community: today we’re reaching out with something a bit different.

Our area health systems are experiencing a shortage of the critical personal protective equipment (PPE) that healthcare workers need to stay safe while providing care for the increasing numbers of COVID-19 (coronavirus) patients.

Alto Pharmacy is launching a PPE donation pick-up program to support our healthcare colleagues across the Bay Area (see our courier zone for pickups here). Donations will be retrieved by our Alto courier team and will go directly to the healthcare providers at hospitals throughout our communities. 

First, confirm that you are in our SF Bay Area courier zone here, and then complete this short form to request a donation pickup. 

Print off this form and follow the instructions for placing the donation items in an enclosed bag. Label the bag "Alto Donation," include the form, and leave the donation bag in the designated safe place before the start of the scheduled pick-up window. An Alto courier will come to pick up the donations - no contact needed!

Requests must be made before 8pm on the evening before the window.

Q: Are you only accepting donations from people who already use Alto's services?

A: No, donations can be collected from anyone in our SF Bay Area courier service zone.

Q: Are you offering this donation pick-up service in your other communities?

A: We're starting with our SF Bay Area neighbors first to make sure we can ensure the donated supplies make it to healthcare professionals in need. If the program is successful, we hope to expand the program to our other communities. 

Q: Which organizations will receive the donations?

A: We're working with a number of healthcare organizations providing front line care in San Francisco, the East Bay and the South Bay.

Q: I have supplies that are already opened and/or used - can I donate them?

A: All supplies must be unopened, unused and in original packaging with the exception of disposable N95 respirators and surgical masks (those can be opened, but unused).

Q: How will you be ensuring the safety of your couriers and those who are donating?

A: Alto's courier team is using a no-contact pick-up process. Our couriers will also be wearing gloves and masks when they pick up the supplies. They will place the supplies into separate bags and dispose of the gloves used after each pick-up. 

Other questions? Please contact community@alto.com.

Help Bay Area Healthcare Workers Fight COVID-19

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