October 06, 1995 - Glebe Report

(31ebe
gpothecarg
778 Bank Street (Between Second & Third)
Store Hours: Mon - Wed 9am to bpm / Thurs & Fri 9am to 9pm / Sat 9am to 6pm / Open every Sunday Noon till 5pm / Tel: 234-8587 Fax: (613) 236-0393
By Mary Arm Simpkins
AlitGOOD NEWS
NETWORK
POSITIVE NEWS ABOUT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
Spotlight on a Local Business
Glebe Apothecary Inc.
'Ottawa's most diversified drugstore'
glance around Glebe Apothecary
eveals that not only the name distinguishes
Arhiquick 's drugstore. Mixed in with the customary
drugstore goods are homeopathic remedies to
soothe babies' teething problems, $4 tubes of
imported toothpaste and Birkenstock sandals -
all products requested by customers.
Listening and responding to customers' requests
has also expanded their services. When patients
of a doctor practicing environment medicine asked
for products not commercially available, Glebe
Apothecary became a compounding phan-nacy,
one of the few drugstores in the region making its
own medication. Over the past five years, they've
produced products as varied as natural progesterone
in capsule and cream form to lozenges and
anti-fungal creams for clients of a local dentist.
The products are shipped across Canada, since
rnany of the patients do not live in this region.
To facilitate ordering, Glebe Apothecary has an
800 number. A small benefit, perhaps, but typical
of its highly personalized service, as is the cubicle
by the pharmacy counter.
"We built the little patient counselling booth
so it's a private consultation area," says Claudia
McKeen, who started the drugstore 10 years ago.
With 14 staff members, including three
technicians to assist behind the pharmacy counter.
McKeen has insured that she and the other full-time
pharmacist have time to talk to customers, explain
their medications, check their drug files, and look
for drug interactions and compliance problems.
"Perhaps the drug doesn't match you," says McKeen.
"If a person cannot swallow a pill, we'll make it into
a suspension for them that they can swallow or we'll
make it into a suppository or we can combine all
their medications into one capsule."
Another innovation just introduced within the
last two months is a clean room, a facility to prepare
sterile products for home infusion. In this room,
containing both a chemotherapy hood and a larninar
flow hood, they can prepare a morphine purnp
for use by a dying patient at home, for instance,
or an intravenous bag can be injected with an
antibiotic. After a VON hooks it up, the patient could
receive the antibiotic while watching tv at home.
Few pharmacies have such a clean room -
even some hospital pharmacies lack this facility -
but funding cutbacks and shorter hospital stays
means more patients will be kept at home. By
providing this service, Glebe Apothecary is securing
its front-line position. "Once patients leave the hospital,
they're the responsibility of the community,
so the community pharmacist has to start to pull in
the slack," says McKeen.
A clean room is a large financial investment
besides requiring a minimum amount of space.
Doug McKeen, Claudia's husband, managed its installation
into the 1500-square-foot shop by completely
automating the store and streamlining operations.
Doug handles the administration and marketing,
freeing Claudia to develop the pharmacy side of the
business.
Physicians receive a newsletter about new drugs
and other medical information as well as brochures
about solving medical problems through the drugstore's
compounding services. If a child hates the
taste of a medication, for example, a non-sugar
chocolate flavor can be added.
Holding events in their store, such as the recent
cholesterol testing clinic, also builds their client
base and brings in people who are often surprised
that an independent pharmacy can compete in
price with the chains both in the products on the
shelves and in drugs. "Most of the time, we're
cheaper," says Claudia McKeen, pointing to their
prices for cough syrup and other items not
generally put on sale by the chains.
For drugs, consumers have to look at both the
dispensing fee and the price of the drug. Since very
few drugs are standard price, another drugstore
might offer a low dispensing fee but heavily mark
up the price of the drug itself. "You have to shop
two things - total price and the service you're buying,"
says McKeen. "If you can't talk to a pharmacist,
then they don't deserve your business."
"If yag::can't talk
pharmacist,
then they don't
deserve your
business.
Claudia McKeen,
Glebe A potheca
Doug and Claudia McKeen
Thank you
Residents of
The Glebe
We are proud to announce that
Claudia McKeen has been
chosen by fellow pharmacists
from across Canada a
Commitment To Care*
Award Winner
For her work she was nominated
and awarded the Commitment
To Care award for Patient Care.
All of us at the Glebe
Apothecary congratulate Claudia
for her achievement and extra
special thanks to all our patents
and customers'who have
supported her through the past
10 years.
*sponsored by Astra Canada.
The Glebe Apothecary
Celebrating 10 years of
community care.
We can't be everyone's
pharmacy... we only
want to be your
pharmacy!
Saturday September 23. /995
Reprinted with permission qf the Onawa Citizen
It
October 6, 1995 Glebe Report-16