ST. LOUIS — A locally, Black-owned pharmacy is making access to medication easier for minority communities by providing free home deliveries to customers in St. Louis City and County.
GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness, located at 5503 Delmar Boulevard, opened in late 2022 with a mission to make trusted pharmacy care available to underrepresented identities, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion and socioeconomic status.
The pharmacy has helped 2,000 St. Louis residents and has made more than 10,000 home deliveries across the city and county, according to Marcus Howard, founder of GreaterHealth.
“More people who have chronic diseases are taking their medication because it’s becoming more accessible,” he said. “We’re becoming a trusted source.”
The pharmacy staff also help customers develop a comprehensive health plan, offer counseling sessions and create a pathway for communication with their physician and previous pharmacy, which are not offered by big box pharmacies.
“We’re reimagining the way people of color experience pharmacy care and we’re really excited about it,” Howard said.
Building close relationships with customers to instill trust is another important element to Howard.
“My family was one of those families that didn’t trust taking medication. They didn’t trust going to a doctor and getting prescribed medication because of the historical things that they had heard,” he said. “It also impacted their ability to become healthier because they still were experiencing chronic diseases.”
Knowing that other families also were having this experience, Howard said he wanted to bridge the culture gap.
“Pharmacies are one of those solutions that are highly underrated, but very important for a community, especially for people and individuals who are looking to get healthy,” he said.
“After you leave the doctor’s office, your pharmacy is actually one of those critical health care providers that help manage your disease, help you manage your medication, help you create a pathway to a healthier lifestyle, and you usually don’t get that at a CVS or a Walgreens.”
He said his team brings the company’s mission to life.
“We have a team of people that are dedicated and passionate about serving all people. We have a group of people who really believe in the mission of furthering health care for all people,” Howard said.
“They make the experience enjoyable. They always make sure they’re delivering and connecting with patients, and then going above and beyond to build the brand.
GreaterHealth’s goal is to continue building its customer base and become a staple in St. Louis.
GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness was a 2023 recipient of the Spectrum Reach “Pay It Forward” program, designed to provide free television advertising campaigns for underrepresented businesses.
The commercial’s three-month run was shown on a wide range of channels, even during an NBA playoff game, Howard said, which increased inquiry and referral calls by 23%.
“Working with the ‘Pay It Forward’ program also has been a huge asset in allowing us to build credibility with the community,” he said.
“In the St. Louis community, when they saw us on TV, they automatically associated us with being credible and so it allowed us to get into homes that we wouldn’t necessarily have been able to get in with other methods of marketing.”
Spectrum Reach currently is seeking participants to apply for the 2024 “Pay It Forward” program. The deadline to apply is Feb. 25.
Spectrum Reach will select 250 participants that will receive a live and streaming TV campaign worth up to $15,000, along with a custom produced 30-second commercial, marketing consultation services, mentoring and educational resources, and networking opportunities.
For more information on qualifications and how to apply, click here.
Charter Communications is the parent company of Spectrum Reach and Spectrum News.