Toledo this week welcomed a Black-owned pharmacy in the Junction community.
Anthony Pattin turned on the “Open” sign to the Junction Family Pharmacy, 1339 Dorr St., inviting the community to upgrade its medication experience with an independent pharmacy.
After more than 15 years experience in pharmacy as a professor at the University of Toledo, Wayne State University, and the University of Buffalo, Mr. Pattin chose to relocate home to Toledo to use his expertise to fight health disparities in community pharmacy.
“Actually going to New York and just being back in that space again, it let me know that I really want to do it,” Mr. Pattin said. “I thought about staying in New York and doing it, but I thought it would be great to come back with my family here, making it more of a family affair, be able to work with them, and also with my own community.”
Opening a new pharmacy in his hometown also helps to address the pharmacy desert left by Rite Aid's departure.
“I was thinking of waiting maybe a year to do this but then this really pushed it forward,” he said. “With [them] leaving, it just leaves a big hole and people from here have to travel all the way out.”
His announcement was met with tremendous social media response with many inquires and interest in transferring prescriptions.
Mr. Pattin expressed his excitement at grabbing the torch and becoming the next generation to represent in addressing health disparities in Toledo’s African-American community and beyond.
“Another thing too, it just gives me an opportunity to serve patients that look like me,” he said. “I've worked in many other pharmacies where I haven't had that opportunity.”
The 2003 Central Catholic High School graduate is husband to Carla Pattin, a professor at Buffalo State University of New York, author, and gardening coach. The couple has a 6-year-old daughter.
“What inspired me was I had an elderly neighbor in high school. I would help her, and she was having difficulty with her medication. She had to do mail order — which I didn't understand any of that at the time — but I helped her sort it out,” he said.
After his neighbor told him about Ella P. Stewart, who opened the first Black-owned drugstore in Toledo in 1922, he began to look into it.
“When I started, I started in an independent pharmacy. I did pharmacy camp at the University of Toledo, and I worked at what was called Glenbyrne Pharmacy from when I was 17 all the way to when I graduated pharmacy school,” he said.
Mr. Pattin received his undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and his doctor of pharmacy, or PharmD, from the University of Toledo and completed the Community Pharmacy Residency Program with Kroger.
“One of my first projects was looking at African-Americans' perceptions of vaccines,” he said. His research helped him to better understand the diverse perspectives in Black communities.
“I learned a lot. One thing is, not everyone feels the same way. I had a group of people who wanted vaccines but said ‘As a matter of fact, when I go to the pharmacy, they don't offer it,’ and that's how I found out that there are some pharmacies, even in their community, that didn't offer that service,” he said. “So that was a disparity — that you were saying that maybe they don't want the service, but they don't have it available.”
Some were on the fence and others are adamant that they don’t want it, but, in essence the study revealed a disparity in access.
“And that's what we're seeing here because it's not that people don't want their prescription medications, but if they don't have availability close by in their community, that's going to be detrimental to their health,” Mr. Pattin said. “So that's where we're talking about the social determinants of health in terms of access, which is a big part of that.”
Applying research findings will help to improve medication adherence and health outcomes in the new pharmacy.
“That's something we're definitely solving by bringing this pharmacy here, as well as many other problems that we want to tackle in terms of use of their medications,” Mr. Pattin said. “Because we can bring the medications here, but we have to make sure that they use them appropriately, they're on the right things, it's effective for them, and it's not harming them.”
Independent pharmacies have the ability to offer the personalized care that many larger pharmacies and chains may not. One-on-one interaction builds relationships and can ultimately lead to improved health outcomes.
“The biggest thing is talking with people. You have to really talk with people and get to know them, and that's just me. That's me being here in the community, getting to know my patients,” he said. “When they begin to trust you, they know that you're really here for them.”
Chris Binder, a registered pharmacist, saw Mr. Pattin’s dedication even while he was in high school, showing exceptional people skills and a desire to help.
“He wanted so much to work at Glenbyrne Pharmacy where I was working that he offered to volunteer, not even be hired,” she said. “And and I said to my boss, ‘We need this guy. He's like a sponge, and he's so good with people.’”
While she supported his venture into academia, she is pleased to see him open a new pharmacy in an underserved area with so many potential patients and an initiative that can foster positive impact.
“He needs to touch the people; he needs to be in people's lives,” she said. “Students are good, but people in the community need him. And community pharmacy is in the heart. It's that contact with people and being able to personally affect their their lives and their health. It’s just so important in this profession.”
In the state of Ohio, pharmacists are health-care providers and able to call to discuss medication with patients, a much-needed service to help people have the best outcomes for their medications, Mr. Pattin said.
“For instance, if someone has insulin and they take too much, they may end up in the hospital because of hypoglycemia, so we want to make sure that they're using those medications safely,” he said.
Mr. Pattin expressed interest in creating a coalition of pastors in the community as his research revealed that pastors have a big influence on health among African-American populations.
In keeping with his passion for teaching, Mr. Pattin has already connected with the University of Toledo and Wayne State University to offer mentoring, shadowing, and possible employment opportunities to pharmacy students.
“It’s important to me that we have students and continue to train those after us as well, to pass that knowledge on,” he said.
The pharmacy is open 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
First Published December 18, 2024, 1:18 p.m.
