By Savanah Mandeville
Steven Charles, Oswego Drug Store
Steven Mayberry, Four States Pharmacy
Mike Humphrey, CJ Pharmacy
Elijah Hershey, Cherryvale Pharmacy
Brian Caswell, Wolkar Drug
Better together!
Four area pharmacies that bring the best in fast, friendly, hometown service to the communities they serve have joined forces to ensure the citizens of Carl Junction continue to enjoy the services only community pharmacies can provide. Those pharmacies are Four States Pharmacy in Galena, Kansas; Wolkar Drug in Baxter Springs, Kansas; Oswego Drug Store in Oswego, Kansas; and Cherryvale Pharmacy in Cherryvale, Kansas.
Mike Humphrey, pharmacy manager at CJ Pharmacy, said local, independent pharmacies like the one in Carl Junction have an edge over their corporate counterparts.
“The owners are directly involved in patient care at each location,” he explained. “We’re focused on making sure we’re taking care of the unique needs of the people on Main Street, in small-town communities.”
In addition to conventional prescription filling, these family pharmacies all offer immunizations, free delivery, a free vitamin program for children up to age 12 and more. Humphrey said being locally based means the pharmacy has the freedom and flexibility to implement new and tailor-made offerings based on face-to-face interactions with customers, instead of only being focused on shareholders and the bottom line.
“We keep our eyes and ears open to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the community,” he said. “Since we’re a hometown pharmacy, we have a lot more freedom and agility; if we need to change or adjust something to meet our patients’ needs, we can do it quickly.”
In fact, that personalized attention and care earned CJ Pharmacy the “Health Promotions and Family Concerns” award at the annual Carl Junction Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet on April 4.
“The Chamber has been massively supportive of us, and it’s incredible how important an active and committed chamber of commerce can be for the vitality of our small towns,” Humphrey said. “It is an honor to be in Carl Junction. The community has been very welcoming, and I appreciate all the kindness and words of support from our customers. Most of all, we appreciate the people of Carl Junction making
CJ Pharmacy their hometown pharmacy.”
CJ Pharmacy | 102 S. Main | Carl Junction, MO
Cherryvale Pharmacy | 203 W. Main St., Ste. A, | Cherryvale, KS
Four States Pharmacy | 1605 KS-66, Ste. B, | Galena, KS
Oswego Drug Store | 413 Commercial St., | Oswego, KS
Wolkar Drug | 1920 Military Ave., | Baxter Springs, KS