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New pharmacy opens on West Parrish AvenueApr 24, 2013 (Messenger-Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Stacy Troutman Logsdon, who has worked in the health care field for 26 years, has opened a new pharmacy on West Parrish Avenue. Commonwealth Family Pharmacy opened April 1 at 1915 Parrish Ave. It's at the former Pizza by the Guy location in the Willow Pointe retail/professional center. Logsdon said in her current job in a local doctor's office, she is frequently on the phone with pharmacies getting refills for patients and communicating in other ways. "I always enjoyed working with the independent drug stores," she said. "Over the years, I established friendships with the personalities on the end of the phone." When Mayfair Pharmacy closed in the fall of 2011 and sold its patient files to Walgreens, and Mills Drug Store was sold to CVS in June of 2012, Logsdon thought Owensboro needed another pharmacy that would have a more personal approach to its customers. Logsdon grew up in Livermore where her pharmacist, Mike Riley, knew everyone's name. "Mike (long since retired) still knows my name, although he sometimes calls me Brenda, which is my mom's name. We laugh about that," she said. Logsdon graduated from McLean County High School and received her radiologic technician's certification from Madisonville Community College's Health Occupations School in 1987. She has been working in a family practice office for 13 years. She plans to continue working in the doctor's office, but she will handle the business aspects of the pharmacy. The owner has her pharmacy technician certification, so she can help out if needed. "I enjoy working with patients and helping to take care of their needs," she said. "I was fortunate, though, to find a pharmacist who was willing to step out in a leap of faith and start this journey with me." Pharmacist Tim McDaniel and pharmacy tech Lisa Rafferty are operating the new business. Logsdon said they are creating an atmosphere similar to the one she grew up frequenting. Logsdon recruited McDaniel, a 19-year Walgreens Drug Store pharmacist, who was ready to leave the corporate environment to try something new. "When you work for people who care for you, it's a lot easier to transmit that to others," said McDaniel. He is from Owensboro where he graduated from Apollo High School and then from the University of Kentucky in 1990. He worked for a couple of other companies before his career with Walgreens. McDaniel's wife, Laura, also has helped in getting the store ready for customers, and she fills in for Rafferty when she needs time off. McDaniel asked Rafferty, who also was working for Walgreens, if she wanted to make the move with him. "I think it's great, and I think it will do well," Rafferty said. "It's a service that's more on a personal level and not the rush." The pharmacy offers a nice selection of over the counter medicines, aids and durable medical equipment. It also already has begun to stock specific supplies for a dentist. Compounding -- that's when a doctor sends a prescription and "recipe" that specifies which chemicals to mix and the amounts to use -- also is part of the pharmacy's services. Having the 1,250-square-foot pharmacy right next to a Rite Aid is not an issue, Logsdon said. She points to clusters of pharmacies located all over cities -- many times right across the street from each other. "Some have said this is a good strategy," Logsdon said. People want choices, she said. "I hope that family feel will be an attraction. I have had people say, 'I just want to talk to a person when I call,' and that will be our goal -- to let you talk to a person and not a machine." The pharmacy owner and staff know that it may take some time to earn their customers. "You don't just open the doors, and it happens," Logsdon said. "It takes time." Commonwealth Family Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's closed Sundays. Joy Campbell, 691-7299, [email protected] ___ (c)2013 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.) Visit the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.) at www.messenger-inquirer.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |