The National Community Pharmacists Association sums up the healthcare contributions of independent community pharmacists to their communities they serve as:
“Community pharmacy not only represents a significant portion of the United States' health care delivery system but independent community pharmacists are also among the most accessible and trusted sources of health care for many patients across the country. As medication experts, independent community pharmacists provide counsel on the treatment of a variety of health related concerns and reduce overall costs by helping to ensure that patients consistently take their medications and by referring them to generic treatment options when they are available.
Independent Statistics
Independent pharmacy: $88.5 billion marketplace
Independent pharmacy prescription sales: $81.6 billion
Independents dispense 1.45 billion prescriptions annually
Prescription medicines are our business: 92% of annual sales are Rx medicines
Average independent pharmacy sales: $3.8 million
Average prescription sales: $3.5 million
Average number of prescriptions per pharmacy: 62,969 annually, 201 per day
Independent Ownership
Over 24% of independent owners have ownership in two or more pharmacies
Overall, the average independent owns 1.76 pharmacies
Independent pharmacies offer a wide range of patient services
The top services offered in 2011 were: immunizations (60%), delivery (82%), durable medical goods (66%), diabetes training (44%), blood pressure monitoring (58%), and compounding (66%).
Staffing in independent pharmacies
Average independent employs 2.8 pharmacists (including owner)
Average independent employs 3.7 technicians
Generic drug utilization
76% of drugs dispensed by independent pharmacies are generics*
*http://www.ncpanet.org/index.php/home/independent-pharmacy-today
While these contributions are immense, there are many other rich contributions given to our communities by our Independent Pharmacists. Many of the Community Pharmacists are very active in their churches and giving back to their communities with their time, talent and treasure. They are active in local government, Rotary and other civic service organizations. They are coaches, referees, and/or sponsors of youth athletics. They are donors to charities, education, arts and music. Our Independent Pharmacist are an integral part of the communities they live in. As community members we should support and treasure them.