MARYSVILLE – As the only independent pharmacy in town, Hilton at 220 State is the only one that can offer compounding and DNA testing.
This week it also offered free health screenings, and Nov. 15 it is expecting up to 500 people at its holiday extravaganza.
Pharmacist Mary Kirkland said as an independent business Hilton can provide specialized service chain stores can’t.
For example, compounding means she and Craig Emory, the other pharmacist, can take a drug and modify it for the needs of a customer. She said they do that often with pediatric medicines, along with hormones and testosterones.
“It’s just like an old-time pharmacy. We know our patients’ names by the second visit,” Kirkland said, adding they check their profiles for their medication lists and allergies.
Kirkland said a new movement in health care is to use DNA testing to see how well a person’s body can metabolize a certain drug. Medicines usually come in the same doses but not every body’s enzymes are the same. When the test is done, the medicines can be changed based on the needs of the patient.
Their pharmacy also can be an advocate for patients when it comes to saving money on drugs. They call the doctors to see if a generic drug could be used rather than a brand-name one. Sometimes they can even talk a doctor into making a change.
“It’s hard for a doctor or nurse practitioner to stay up on all of the different types of drugs. We’re the drug experts. Our medical community is often open to our suggestions.”
She mentioned one example where a type of cream went from costing $15 to $800.
Kirkland said Hilton has joined the Health Mar network. It gives independent pharmacies a bigger voice and does marketing and advertising to compete with the bigger chains. It also helps to provide discounts.
As part of that effort, the Healthy Mar bus came to town Nov. 12. Tour manager David Arboraye, screener Cheryl Graham and registered nurse David Gereau, all from Florida, gave free health screenings. They travel the country making 180 stops at independent pharmacies. Their goal is to make people aware of the growing epidemic of diabetes cases. Arboraye said 25.8 million Americans have the disease, and seven million don’t even know it.
