Good Neighbor honors top independents

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. Four Good Neighbor Pharmacy Recognition Awards were presented to customers at the AmerisourceBergen National Healthcare Conferences held in various locations across the country.

The awards recognize the achievements of Good Neighbor Pharmacy stores in the following categories – Pharmacy of the Year, Pharmacist of the Year, Home Health Care Pharmacy of the Year and Diabetes Shoppe “Living Without Limits.”

All award winners were selected from AmerisourceBergen’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy network of more than 3,600 independent pharmacies nationwide.  This year’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy Recognition Award winners are:

• Pharmacy of the Year: Samia Zaki and Ahmed Atallah of Fox Drug in Torrance, Calif.;
• Pharmacist of the Year: Ray Marcrom, PharmD. of Marcrom’s Pharmacy  in Manchester, Tenn.
• Home Healthcare Pharmacy of the Year Award: Faiz and Joe Oley of Westbury Pharmacy in Richmond, Va.;
• Diabetes Shoppe Living Without Limits Award: Kevin Roeder, The Apothecary Shoppe, Midland, Mich.

The Pharmacy of the Year Award is presented each year to a pharmacy that represents the best that Good Neighbor Pharmacy has to offer and is a model for other stores. 

“Fox Drug prides itself on customer service, with patient care being paramount to their success and health of their patients,” said Peter Cerula, corporate VP retail for AmerisourceBergen. “Samia and Ahmed have owned the pharmacy for 20 years.  They have become an asset to the community with their services, such as patient counseling, free deliveries and outreach to the community with their flu clinics and participation in local health fairs.”

Fox Drugs participated in a pilot program with AmerisourceBergen to help analyze their point-of-sale data and worked with a business coach to improve their profitability.

Meanwhile, the Pharmacist of the Year Award is bestowed to a pharmacist who is supremely dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people and towns he or she serves.  Since opening Marcrom’s Pharmacy in 1978, Ray had a business plan that was more clinical than corporate.

“If we are truly pharmacists, our concern should not just be keeping the business and filling prescriptions.  It ought to be providing top-quality health care,” noted Marcom.

In late 2006, Marcom spearheaded meetings with a local aerospace testing facility, its union and AmerisourceBergen to create a seamless prescription benefit plan that provides enhanced patient care from a group of independent pharmacists, and eventually, overall plan cost reductions. This new benefit model has become a showcase for other community pharmacists around the country.

Marcrom’s Pharmacy serves as an advanced community and ambulatory care student training site for the University of Tennessee, College of Pharmacy. Between seven and 15 students are trained annually to increase their competency and leadership skills.

“Ray Marcrom is a leader for pharmacists everywhere. His commitment to his patients, the community and future pharmacists should be commended,” said James Grigg, group VPt, program management of retail at AmerisourceBergen. “We are honored to be affiliated with a pharmacist of Ray’s character and are pleased to have him as an advisor to Good Neighbor Pharmacy.”

Additionally, Good Neighbor also presented the Home Healthcare Pharmacy of the Year Award to Faiz and Joe Oley of Westbury Pharmacy, located in Richmond, Va. The award is bestowed to the pharmacy that shows excellence in providing patients with medical equipment, supplies and support, and has established a successful home healthcare business in its community.

“When I think of home health care and the understanding compassion and knowledge that go with delivering these products and services, I think of Westbury Pharmacy,” said John Ferrara, R.Ph., corporate VP retail business development for AmerisourceBergen. “Westbury is a destination in the Richmond community for home health care needs.”

The Apothecary Shoppe was honored with the Diabetes Shoppe Living Without Limits Award. The staff visits the local health fairs and senior expos, and conduct diabetes days at independent living centers where they have blood glucose testing and shoe fittings with the Tenderfeet products. In the store, The Apothecary Shoppe has two full time nurses on staff who are available for testing and patient counseling.