This past winter, team members at Mariano’s #538 in Chicago set a goal of administering 800 flu shots to their surrounding community. “We not only met it, but we surpassed it,” says pharmacy technician Francisco “Paco” Navarro, CPhT. “The only way we were able to do that is by all of us working together as a team. We never told anybody ‘no,’ we took walk-ins, and we just made it happen.”

It’s a small but mighty team: There are four full-time team members: pharmacists Tony Thin, Pharm.D., and Lindy Wing, Pharm.D., and pharmacy technicians Navarro and Nicholas Blanchard, CPhT.

Mariano’s #538 is situated in the Chicago neighborhood of Lakeview East, where it serves a diverse population of retirees and young adults. The pharmacy is also located in the heart of Boystown, home to one of the largest LGBTQ+ communities in the Midwest. Several patients who take HIV medications fill their prescriptions at Mariano’s, and the staff takes great care to ensure they have uninterrupted access to their medicine. 

“We’re very much ahead of the game, so we never let them run out of scripts,” Navarro says. “Before that happens, we’ll contact doctors, assist with prior authorizations, or even help find coupons so they’re able to afford their medications.” 

HIV drugs in particular can be incredibly expensive, with many costing thousands of dollars without insurance. While many of the pharmacy’s patients do have insurance coverage, life circumstances can still pose financial challenges. 

“On occasion, we’ll have patients who have either lost a job or have lost their insurance, so we assist them in trying to manage a way to get their medications without breaking the bank,” Navarro says. “We let them know we’re here to work with them and help them out. We will figure it out and help relieve a little bit of that stress.” 

Helping them figure it out may include contacting insurance companies, educating customers about manufacturers’ coupons, or checking for drug discounts through prescription savings services like SingleCare.

“We had a patient recently who was prescribed Truvada, and something freaky was going on with his insurance,” Navarro says. “For some reason, insurance wasn’t covering the cost. Before, he was paying zero, but it was now coming in that the prescription would cost $2,000.”

The patient became visibly upset. He had reached out to his insurance company who assured him that the medication was covered, yet when the team at Mariano’s ran the prescription, they received a rejection again. 

“We kept trying to figure out what the problem was,” Navarro says. “We told him to get the manufacturer’s coupon as a backup just in case. It took about a week before we were finally able to get everything fixed, using the insurance and the manufacturer’s coupon to get the cost down to zero.”

The teamwork it took to ensure this patient had affordable access to his life-saving drugs is just one story of the staff’s dedication and compassion. Here, we spoke with Navarro and Dr. Wing about what drives the Mariano’s #538 team to consistently go the extra mile for customers. 

What does your team do to provide exceptional service to your patients?

Lindy Wing, Pharm.D. (pharmacy manager): We stop what we’re doing, acknowledge people immediately, and see what they need, even if it means walking out into the aisles to assist them. In a tight squeeze, we will make deliveries even if it’s past the delivery cutoff time to get people their medications. 

A lot of our patients are older and they just can’t get down to our location. We may have some of our technicians even physically walk down the street and deliver a medication to a patient. It’s a last resort, but it’s a little something we can do so they don’t have to walk out at night or if they’ve just had surgery. It’s the little things we do that make a big difference for people. We love serving our patients and in return, they love us. 

We also love saving people as much money as we can. Post-COVID, there is a lot of financial burden, so if we can save people money, we try. We don’t wait for people to come with their coupons. We’re doing trial and error to determine the best one. If the medication is too expensive, we’ll call the doctor and see if there’s an alternative. 

How do you all build relationships with your patients?

Francisco “Paco” Navarro, CPhT (pharmacy technician): We follow the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” because you don’t know the pages on the inside and you don’t know what other people’s medical situations are. You have to empathize and be an example out of your own page.

Dr. Wing: All of us have a good amount of relatability to our patients. We want our patients to know they can ask us anything. We don’t want them to be scared, fearful, or to think we’re going to judge them. We want our pharmacy to be a comfortable, open space where if you had a bad day, you can come and talk to us about it. We don’t want anyone to feel nervous coming to the pharmacy.

How does your team try to go above and beyond for your patients?

Navarro: We have a third-party partner who delivers medications to our patients, but many times this past year, we’ve delivered them ourselves because patients have either called past the delivery time or it’s been something that they need immediately. When patients have had COVID-19, they may need to start Paxlovid right away and not have anybody to pick it up for them. 

How do you begin each shift with the attitude that you’re there to serve?

Navarro: That’s honestly how we start every day. We come in with a mentality that we’re going to help everyone and anyone. We get to know our customers, and that’s why our pharmacy has been so successful. We’ve learned their names and who they are. They appreciate that closeness, that familiarity, and that they’re not just a number.

Can you share an example of your team’s mindset?

Navarro: We recently had a Walmart close near us, and we had a lot of transfers come to our store. We worked together to welcome the patients with open arms and showed them our style of work at our Mariano’s—which is caring, getting to know them, getting to know their needs, and asking questions. We’ve actually gotten to know a lot of them very quickly. When they come in, we call them by their names, and we know what they’re picking up. That makes a huge difference. 

At other pharmacies, you may feel like you’re just a number or another person, like the staff doesn’t know you or your needs—but in our store, we’re like a family. We care about each other, and we know each other’s lives and each other’s partners. We always have a huge line of open communication, and then those dynamics extend outward and make a difference with the customers.