May 22, 2008

Smaller Pharmacies Focusing on HIV Care

In regions of the United States with large populations of people living with HIV, small, specialized pharmacies are catering to positive people’s medication needs in ways that mail-order services cannot, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (stltoday.com, 5/21).

“It’s a way to take care of patients in a slightly different environment that’s giving more focused care,” said Glen Pietradoni, manager of HIV, AIDS and hepatitis programs for Walgreen Co. “The stores are smaller, the staff is more highly educated on the disease.”

The Post-Dispatch reports that other pharmacy chains are providing specialized HIV care, including CarePlus—a s pharmacy under the CVS Corp./Caremark Inc. umbrella—and BioScrip, a leading mail-order pharmacy. At BioScrip’s Richmond Heights, St. Louis, location, for example, 90 percent of customers are living with HIV/AIDS.

Scroll down to comment on this story.

Previous Comments:

Bill Levitz, Riverside, 2008-07-01 21:01:08
I got to say thank you for the article but since Pioneer sold their pharmacy off to the big box stores...I had to go elsewhere. Thank God I found WBP (westside boutique pharmacy). Called them yesterday, meds at my home today. All they do is HIV meds. Ask for Dennee, she is a sweet heart. Peace to all.

gary pollock, Victorville,Calif, 2008-05-28 00:54:13
The small specific pharmacythat I use in the desert in so cal is pioneer. If it were not for their tireless staff making sure I get my meds with no excuses or hangups, I would probably still be standing in line at a big box with a clerk yelling " your aids meds are ready" which actually happened to me. Here's to Pioneer Pharmacy, the awesome staff and the outrages clock they gave me for Christmas. Least I got one present!!