GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness is putting the community first.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness filled a need for more than 45,000 St. Louis, MO, residents who had been without a pharmacy. For founder Dr. Marcus Howard, the opening also marked a return home, as he left St. Louis to pursue a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D., while maintaining a drive to eliminate health care disparities.
“I went to North Carolina to pursue my undergrad degree and my Ph.D., and I returned home to really take all the things that I learned out in the community in other places and bring them back home because I know St. Louis is a great place. It’s my home. I just wanted to bring something back and make a difference,” he said in an interview with Nine PBS.
His pharmacy officially opened its doors in 2022 at 5503 Delmar Blvd., Suite B, St. Louis, Missouri 63112, and adopted business models similar to those of Walgreens and Amazon. It delivers medication, over-the-counter products, and fruits and vegetables to residents at no cost. It also offers virtual telehealth services, including medication education and health screenings, according to a press release.
“To make pharmacy more accessible in pharmacy deserts, we are first bridging the trust gap, and second, we are making it more convenient by offering free medication delivery and telehealth options,” said Dr. Howard in the press release.
The pharmacy is proving to be a community staple. On Sunday, May, 3, GreaterHealth participated in Black St. Louis BuyOut, an economic movement to encourage shoppers to direct their dollars to Black-owned businesses, according to KSDK.
“The community has become our cousins, our friends, our parents, our grandparents,” Dr. Kenneth Powell, a pharmacist at GreaterHealth, said, per KSDK.
The pharmacy hopes that the buyout event will help ensure its long-term viability.
“We plan on being in this community for another 5, 10, 20, 50 years,” Howard said, per the outlet.
