The Walmart pharmacy at 2150 N. Telegraph Road in Monroe, Michigan, won SingleCare’s Best Pharmacy for Education, thanks to their dedication to listening—even to what customers aren’t saying—then figuring out the best way to help. They’re constantly teaching patients about everything from the coupons available to the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine all while creating a special moment of care for each person who comes to the pharmacy counter.

In business since 2009, the store stands out with two pharmacists, Valerie Desmond, Pharm.D., and Sanjay Patel, Pharm.D., one pharmacy sales associate, Marchelle Close, and six technicians Madeline Bollenberg, Alex Stiltner, RJ Eighmey, Donna Holloman, Emma Doom, and Nancy Kidd. Together, they help up to 250 customers a day.

Dr. Desmond, the pharmacy manager, Stiltner, and Eighmey talked to SingleCare about how they go above and beyond—even during the pandemic.

How does your team go above and beyond for customers?

Valerie Desmond (pharmacy manager): They start just by listening to them. We’ve discovered that most of the time when someone comes in and they’re not in a great mood, it’s not because of anything we did, it’s because of something else that’s going on in their life. A lot of times they just want somebody to listen to them. 

Sometimes patients don’t necessarily want to ask for help, don’t know how, or they don’t feel comfortable. They might drop a subtle hint, and my team has become pretty good at honing in on that. If someone mentions that this is a really expensive prescription, then they’ll take that extra time to try and find a better price for them, whether that’s through a discount card or manufacturer coupon. Or if the patient mentions, “I don’t like this medication, it makes me feel really dizzy all the time.” They’ll know to partner with the pharmacist to see what’s causing this side effect and how can we manage that. They listen, that’s the big thing.

Each one of my technicians is dedicated to providing a moment of care for every patient. Even if that’s just saying, “How’s your day?” They ask, “How are you doing? What can I do for you?” They try to take time to make a personal connection with everybody. I think that the patients recognize that.

Alex Stiltner (pharmacy technician): We always try to make sure that each customer who comes up, their needs are met. We don’t want people to feel like just another person. We want them to feel like they’re coming to a friend’s or a neighbor’s house. If they need to talk, we’re always here if they need to share any extra information with us.

We don’t want people to feel like just another person. We want them to feel like they’re coming to a friend’s or a neighbor’s house.

That’s the biggest thing: that they feel comfortable talking to us. They know that if we can get medication cheaper or we can do something to help them, then that’s what we’re going to do. We greet each customer. That’s the start of the conversation. It’s not robotic; we make them feel human. The greeting opens up the door.

RJ Eighmey (pharmacy technician): We do a lot of phone calls to doctor offices and insurance companies to resolve issues in as timely a manner as we can. We also always look out for discounts for patients, to try and get them as good of a price as we can. A lot of people don’t know about prescription savings cards. We get a lot of compliments from customers saying that they’re very appreciative of what we do. 

How has COVID affected your pharmacy?

Eighmey: We do walk-in vaccinations. We try to educate people on what’s actually going on with the pandemic because a lot of people don’t have all the information—or even the correct information. Just being a source of education that people can trust and come to helps alleviate a lot of the rumors and things going around. We get a lot of people who are very scared of getting the vaccine or coming in for their medications, and we are able to ease them into the process.

Dr. Desmond: Our customers were definitely relying on us to be that source of knowledge and support for them during the pandemic. My technicians have stepped up in a huge way. They’re immunization certified now, so they can give COVID-19 and flu shots. They jumped right in and they have such a good relationship with the patients. The patients feel really comfortable with them. They have that personal connection with them, so it makes them a little bit more open to it. The customers are a little bit less uncomfortable with the whole situation.

How does your team help the community?

Dr. Desmond: We provide quarterly Walmart Wellness Events, during which we provide free health screens and low-cost or free immunizations. We’ve participated with the store in fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network. We have also partnered with local law enforcement for DEA Drug Take Back Day events and the state of Michigan to provide Narcan giveaway events.

What should patients know about saving money?

Eighmey: Always check online because there are several free discounts that you can sign up for. They can help pay for medications that aren’t covered by insurance plans. You can usually even get a better price with a discount card. There’s also manufacturer coupons for certain medications, like Eliquis, that have very high copays otherwise. 

What makes your team special?

Stiltner: We work really well together. A couple of us have been here for 10-plus years. We kind of lead the way and then everybody else follows. We help them to learn so they can better themselves. We all know our place and where we need to be at each time so everything gets done efficiently.

Eighmey: Most of the people who work here are here because they want to help people. It’s a pretty good dynamic. Different people have different strengths and weaknesses. Some people are better with insurance claims. If someone’s getting stumped on something, we usually hand it off to people who are good at resolving that particular issue. We’re all pretty good at acknowledging and recognizing that.

Dr. Desmond: I don’t want to say we’re like a family, but we’re a very functional professional group. We get the job done. We all have different strengths. What I like about my team is that they’re comfortable enough with each other that they’ll ask each other for help and they’ll teach and train each other. It makes my job way easier as my pharmacy manager. If somebody doesn’t know how to solve a problem with insurance, then one of my other technicians will jump up and help them out. If my cashier’s getting overrun at the front end, my technicians are up there helping.

Everybody looks out for one another. When we’re here, we’re here to get the job done and the patient is number one.