When you think of a small town, several images come to mind – ones of warmth and acceptance, familiarity and civility: the very essence of community. If images of a farmer’s market and a general store bring on nostalgia, if a morning drive brings images of community members waving hello to each other as they pass on the street – if these are things you value, you are not alone. Reed’s Pharmacy, with personal care programs and patient-oriented service, nurtures that endearing sense of community in a time when the hustle and bustle of life can make business impersonal. Reed’s Pharmacy stands out in the communities in which they do business, fostering a sense of kinship with their patrons. Their approach to the work they do has not gone unnoticed. Customers come away from an interaction with the owners and staff at Reed’s with a sense that their needs have been met on a holistic level. It is personal. It is comprehensive. It is friendly. This unique attention to detail is what the partners at Reed’s Pharmacy pride themselves on, but it is not surprising when you consider the company’s origin.
After decades of friendship, Ken and Tally Reed, Mark and Vicki Williams, and Craig and Amy Hatcher decided to pursue their mutual goal of helping people and serving the community. The friends wanted to find a way to satisfy a need in the communities they loved, but do so in a way that would make a true impact in their customers lives. Their shared interest in pharmaceuticals as well as in business (five out of the six partners graduated from Pharmaceutical programs from West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio universities) drove these college friends toward a reality that now helps many West Virginians, Marylanders, and Virginians. Acting as consultations, drug reviewers, liaisons, and a helpful second set of eyes for doctors and patients alike, the pharmacists at Reed’s Pharmacy consider it their duty to make sure that their customers understand their medication profile and how changes impact them. They go above and beyond filling prescription orders. They take a specific interest in their customers’ needs and help them to live their best lives. This dedication to people started with one store. Twenty years later they have 5 locations: three in West Virginia, one in Maryland, and one in Virginia.
In 1997, the first Reed’s Pharmacy was opened in Berkeley Springs, WV off Rte. 522 by Ken and Tally Reed. With a community spirit in mind, the couple invested in a tract of land that they turned into a commercial hub. The Reeds built a strip mall and filled it with local businesses that would align well the close-nit and artistic community. A few years later and with their friends onboard as partners, they did the same in Hedgesville, WV and in Spring Mills, WV. To date, the partnership has strip malls in three locations: the original Berkley Springs site, the Hedgesville location, which opened in 1999, and the Spring Mills location, which opened in 2009. Each of the strip malls house businesses that cater to the communities within which they exist, providing important services such as dentist offices, restaurants, and physical therapy offices. The other two locations (in Hancock, MD and Berryville, VA) operate as standalone entities that uniquely service their respective community’s needs. For example, the Hancock, MD location, which was opened in 2005, has gasoline and dry-cleaning services among its offerings. The Berryville, VA location, opened in 2013, is situated in the area’s bustling downtown.
Reed’s Pharmacy has all of the services that you would expect from a pharmacy, including daily hours of operation that meet the needs of morning, mid-day, and evening patrons, a robust staff to meet customer needs, and knowledgeable pharmacists available for questions and concerns. What is unique about Reed’s Pharmacy is their level of interaction with the customer base and the lengths they go to make sure that their customers feel personally cared for in that environment. The pharmacists at Reed’s put a program called Outcomes Management into practice. This program focuses on the many aspects of patient care that occur after the person has left the doctor’s office. The pharmacists help both doctors and patients by being a second pair of eyes when it comes to medications. Called their “brown bag” program, the pharmacists at Reed’s Pharmacy review their customer’s medications to be sure that the patient is not taking a combination of prescriptions that can cause harm. They have the unique opportunity to help doctors by looking at the patient’s medication history as it stands in their system and making important connections to potential reactions. Their brown bag program allows the pharmacist to get to know their customers and address their needs in a well-rounded fashion. Other aspects of the Outcomes Management program include face to face consultation for managing diabetes (available for patients and their families), counseling efforts that will help people trying to quit smoking, suggestions about how to effectively manage auto-immune deficiencies, and assistance with coping with long-term illnesses. In this way, Reed’s Pharmacy offers a holistic model to patient care. “Pharmacy is a vital link in terms of helping the doctors monitor patients in a more efficient way,” says Mark Williams, one of the partners at Reed’s Pharmacy. “The pharmacist is another helping hand.” This collaborative approach to medicine is beneficial to everyone: the patient, the doctors, the pharmacists alike.
Reed’s Pharmacy was also an early adopter of Med Sync, a program that allows patients to sync the refill dates of their medications so that they are all available at the same time in a given month. This customer-focused offering directly addresses transportation and mobility concerns a customer might have. This program keeps in common with the way that Reed’s Pharmacy puts their customers’ needs first by creating and participating in services that will make life easier for them.
Reed’s Pharmacy participates in local events including the Apple Butter Fest, where they host blood pressure booths and spread the word about their comprehensive patient care plans. In an effort to make preparing for the cold of winter easier, flu shots are available onsite at all of their locations for people aged 13 and up. Reed’s also provides for students interested in pursuing a pharmaceutical career.
Reed’s Pharmacy is changing the way pharmacies are viewed in the community. At a time when big box stores and online chains debate the prospect of dipping a toe into the pharmaceutical arena, Reed’s Pharmacy works hard to form relationships with their customers to meet their ever-changing needs. They value the importance of a familiarity which can only be achieved through local presence. All six partners hail from communities in the surrounding area, so they understand the unique perspective a local business owner has. There is a purview into the lives and activities of community members that is more personal than what customers might experience at a big box retailer. Reed’s Pharmacy strives to be the hometown pharmacy of nostalgia that treats their customers as neighbors and provides the most comprehensive service possible.
Each of the five location is open 7 days a week. On Monday through Friday, the hours of operation are from 9-7. On Saturday and Sunday, the hours of operation are from 9-2.
