Here's just one reason why I love Community Professional Pharmacy: I was waiting to pick up a…read moreprescription for my grandfather, and next to me were a very young couple whose baby had been hospitalized for quite some time and was being released that day. The pharmacist clearly knew the couple and their situation, and expressed congratulations, as well as appropriate concern. (Lest you think this might have been a HIPAA violation, don't worry -- they were just chatting, and no medical details were discussed.) The couple needed a compound medication, something very few pharmacies do any more, for the baby, but they did not have the money with them to pay. In short order, the pharmacist had *given* them enough of the medication to get them through the next few days, wished them well, and sent them on their way to pick up their baby and take it home. The couple said they would be back to pay for the medication and pick up the rest, and the pharmacist assured them that the most important thing was getting the baby home and settling in, and then she'd see them in a few days. Without skipping a beat, she then took care of the medication for my grandfather, helping me through a couple of problems we'd been having with side effects, and when I left, the other employees all asked me to give my grandfather their best and tell him they said hello.
Now I ask you, would ANY of that happen at CVS?
Community Professional Pharmacy is everything a local neighborhood concern should be. They take care of their customers with utmost care and courtesy. It is rather like having a team of advocates, when you have to deal with a doctor's office that forgets to send in that prescription renewal, or an insurance company reluctant to pay for a drug. The two pharmacists are sterling examples of their profession, and have helped me on numerous occasions, including preventing me from giving my grandfather prescribed medications that were actually contraindicated and discussing at length how best to begin and end specific medications in the elderly, as well as other issues. There have been times that they caught things that my grandfather's physicians did not -- and we were so lucky that they did!
The staff are extremely professional, cheerful, and thoughtful, as well. They make it a pleasure to shop here. In addition to the standard prescription medications, they also mix compounds (a medication that must be made by the pharmacist because it is not available from the manufacturer in the desired form or strength), which is a rare art these days, and sell a variety of herbal and homeopathic remedies. If you have any questions about any of their over the counter remedies, just ask -- the pharmacists will be just as helpful about these as they are about the prescriptions. They also have a wonderful little collection of antique apothecary and pharmacy equipment, so if you choose to wait while your prescription is filled, you can entertain yourself in their tiny museum. Two caveats: they're closed on the weekends, and they don't order some heavy-duty opiate medications (I suspect because it's just not safe to do so, most unfortunately, given the rate of pharmacy robberies).
As for me, I don't care that the pharmacy is closed on the weekends, or that they don't have some of the stronger painkillers (if need be, we can go elsewhere on the extremely rare occasion that they can't get an individual medication). It is a very small price to pay for this kind of old-fashioned courtesy and service. If you live in Riverside and need to fill a prescription, PLEASE come here. We need to support independent concerns like this in our city. And I guarantee that if you come here just once, you won't be able to stand filling prescriptions anywhere else -- you'll be spoiled by the excellent service!
