Best of the Best award star

Most Community-Focused Pharmacist

Heidi Tuttle, Pharm.D., BCGP, BCMTMS, CDCES

Pharmacist

Photo by Dominick Williams, produced by Natalie Gialluca
Drugs icon Walgreens #13032 Maps icon 4016 West 95th Street
Prairie Village, Kansas

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas

Resume

  • 13 years as a pharmacist at Walgreens
  • Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP)
  • Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)
  • Board-Certified in Medication Therapy Management Specialist (BCMTMS)
  • 4 years as an intern at Walgreens
  • 1 year as a pharmacy technician at D&H Pharmacy

Years in pharmacy

18

Because of her passion for continuing her education to better help the patients at her pharmacy, Heidi Tuttle, Pharm.D., BCGP, BCMTMS, CDCES, has been named the 2021 Most Community-Focused Pharmacist. She has been a pharmacist at Walgreens for 17 years, and 11 of those just at her current location. When she realized that her patients were aging and many lived with diabetes, she took classes to become board-certified in geriatrics and diabetes care. Not only that, but she’s also certified in medication therapy management and taking foreign language classes to better serve her Spanish-speaking population. When a new hurdle comes up, Heidi hits the books until she’s mastered it.

What inspired you to become a pharmacist?

My dad is a physician and my mom’s a pharmacist. I grew up around health care—watching my parents take care of people and seeing how much that meant to them. I always found the human body super interesting. I thought about going into medical school, and I job-shadowed a couple of physicians. I decided to go into pharmacy instead. I’m really glad I did because I love the face-to-face patient care. That’s my favorite part about it.

How do you go above and beyond for your customers?

I pay a lot of attention to the price of the prescriptions when I’m verifying them. I’ve been in pharmacy for 17 years, so I know what kind of therapeutic equivalents are available that might cost less. If something is expensive, I will contact the physician to see if we can switch the prescription. I’ll say, “Hey, this one is an extended release. It’s more expensive. Could we switch to immediate release, twice a day? It would save some money.” Or, I’ll search for a coupon to go with it. I have even called manufacturers for patients to see if I can find some assistance.

The skyrocketing prices of drugs in this country is prohibitive for a lot of people. I don’t want people to have to choose between eating or taking their medication because both are very important.

My store is in an elderly community. A lot of these people are on Medicare and a fixed income. The skyrocketing prices of drugs in this country is prohibitive for a lot of people. I don’t want people to have to choose between eating or taking their medication because both are very important. I always tell people that I like to save money, and I’m sure they do, too. It’s rewarding for me to see their faces when I tell them they will save a hundred dollars. Some people don’t realize that there are options available to help them save.

How do you go above and beyond for your community?

I personally have scheduled over 20 offsite flu shot clinics this fall. I’ve contacted businesses or community centers—places for free flu shots for the underserved community—and set up clinics where my technicians and I go and give shots. Our first official flu clinic was just after Labor Day, but now we have one every two to three days.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job is being face-to-face with people. A lot of times you can’t call your doctor’s office and talk to your doctor because they’re too busy. We’re busy, too, but it’s nice being an accessible healthcare professional. My patients know they can trust me and call anytime. 

I try my very best to memorize people’s names. It’s just an extra touch that a lot of people really seem to appreciate. I love patient care. It’s my passion. I love helping people.

Could you share a customer story when you felt you made a difference?

Once, a woman came in with a really high blood pressure. It was so elevated she needed to go to the hospital. I called an ambulance for her. She was very scared. She lives alone and didn’t know what to do with her car. I told her, “Don’t worry about your car. I’ll take care of it.” She gave me her car keys. She lived in the apartment building that shares a parking lot with my Walgreens. 

My patients know they can trust me and call anytime. 

I drove her car to her parking spot, not even a 10th of a mile away. I parked it there, locked it. Then, I went to the hospital to visit her and gave her the car keys. She couldn’t believe that someone would do that for her. To me, it was no problem at all. I wanted to go check on her and make sure she was okay. She ended up having to stay the night in the hospital, but she was discharged the next day. The people in my neighborhood, at my store, are genuinely sweet people. I’m very fortunate to be working at that Walgreens.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I had a patient come in who was newly diagnosed with diabetes. I was counseling her on all the medications and equipment. It made me realize I enjoy diabetes education. I took an online class for six months. I went to the national meeting. I did a lot of studying on my own. The next year, in 2019, I took the exam to become a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. 

That inspired me to become a Geriatric Certified Pharmacist as I work in an elderly community. I really love working with older people. I studied for that program for nine months. In September 2020, I took the exam to become certified. 

I also do a lot of medication therapy management (MTM). Similar to the other two certifications, I studied and took the exam for MTM in December of 2020. I got three certifications in two years. I don’t get paid any more for it—I just want to make sure I’m keeping up with my education.

I speak intermediate Italian and beginner German, but I realized in the last year how many of my customers are Spanish speaking. I wanted to start learning some Spanish to better be able to take care of my patients. I enrolled at La Causerie foreign language academy to take a Spanish class every week, in addition to my Italian class. I am really enjoying the classes and hopefully this new foreign language knowledge will help me better serve my community. 

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your pharmacy?

During the pandemic, pharmacy organizations have allowed the technicians to become immunization certified. It saves me so much time because my Walgreens does about 2,700 flu shots a season.

If I’m giving shots, I can’t verify prescriptions or answer questions for people. The fact technicians can help with immunizations has just been game-changing for us. That’s been the biggest, helpful change during COVID that I’m very grateful for.

What makes you great at your job?

If you have patients that you see day-to-day, you can establish relationships with them. Having empathy for people is a huge attribute that retail pharmacists need. I really connect with people. Even if people are not in the best mood, I remember that something happened to them that brought them to the pharmacy. The people who are not nice to you are the people who need you to be nicest to them the most because there’s something else going on.

Having empathy for people is a huge attribute that retail pharmacists need.

You just have to look at it from the other person’s perspective. Some of the customers who have been difficult have actually turned out to be the nicest people, because that kindness is all they needed.

What does this nomination mean to you?

It means a lot to me that people would go out of their way to nominate me for something like that. It really touches my heart that they would—because they didn’t have to do it. They didn’t get anything in return. It’s so sweet.

Praise from customers

“Heidi has been with this pharmacy since they opened 11 years ago. She is always there for you with a listening ear and a smile on her face. There is never a dumb question for Heidi; everyone is the most important person in the world when she’s helping them!”