A hallmark of excellence lies in a team’s unwavering openness to learn from one another, constantly striving to enhance the care they provide to their patients. 

At Rite Aid #10507 in Forked River, New Jersey, fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration is deeply ingrained in their team’s values, explains pharmacy manager Lauren Partel, Pharm.D.

“Crystal Popowitch, CPhT, our technician main, has been with the company for over 20 years,” Dr. Partel explains. “She has more knowledge of different areas and that trickles down to the staff. Everyone is learning from each other every day. When our intern Noelle Glassford learns new things at school, she says, ‘Did you know about this?’ It’s nice learning from each other and working together.”

Glassford, who worked as a pharmacy technician at Rite Aid #10507 before enrolling in pharmacy school and becoming an intern, says her in-person experience at the store has helped prepare her for schooling.

“A good amount of what I learned about pharmacy in general I learned here, probably before I ever learned it in school,” she says. “This is a really supportive team.”

In addition to Dr. Partel, Popowitch, and Glassford, the team includes staff pharmacist Anna Fasulo, Pharm.D., pharmacy scheduler Kellie Towlen, and technicians Marta Rychter, Nikki Marmo, Allison Westman, and Rick Baranczuk. 

That team camaraderie extends to the patients of Forked River, a growing community with a mixed population of young families and older residents. 

“We want our patients to always leave knowing that they had the best service or the best solution,” Dr. Partel says. “Rite Aid is involved in the whole health of the individual or family, so we help patients find over-the-counter items and offer immunizations. We are not only about prescriptions, and we’ll help them find what they need.”

It’s this constant above-and-beyond service that led the team to be named a 2023 Best of the Best Pharmacy Award winner. Here, team members from Rite Aid #10507 spoke with us to share some of their secrets to building a supportive and successful workplace and how they’ve evolved to meet the needs of their patients.

Describe the community you serve.

Lauren Partel, Pharm.D. (pharmacy manager): Forked River, New Jersey, is a growing community. A lot of people are starting to move here from different places. I’m originally from Pennsylvania, and I’m always finding people who say, “Oh, I used to live there,” before they moved to this area. We have young families, a lot of older communities, and people who come here on vacation as well. We’re near the ocean, so people come here during the summer. Our population can vary depending on the time of year.

How does your team go above and beyond on a regular basis?

Dr. Partel: We always treat our patients like family. If that was my mom coming in or my grandmother or a brother, I’d want them to be helped the same way. We’re always available. Whatever kind of problem they have, we’re here to help our patients. 

For example, if the copay on a prescription is astronomical, we’ll look for a discount program to help alleviate the cost or check with the healthcare provider to see if there’s an alternative. We’ll do what we can to see if we can help lower the price. 

What do you do to create a customer-focused team?

Dr. Partel: I lead by example. If I wouldn’t do it myself, then why should my team? I go to the counter and help customers. I go out to the aisles and help look for different things. I make the phone calls. If it’s something I won’t do, I wouldn’t expect them to do it either. I love my team. We are great at communicating with each other and helping each other out.

What is the team dynamic like among the staff?

Crystal Popowitch, CPhT (pharmacy technician main): We’re big on teamwork and no one has any one set job. Everybody’s interchangeable, so if there’s an emergency with a customer, then someone else will jump right in to help the line.

Noelle Glassford (pharmacy intern): I started here as a technician in my sophomore year of college. As I moved along in the pharmacy program, I became an intern. Because I started as a tech, I began learning from all of the technicians here and then as I progressed through school, I also grew here as an intern. This is a really supportive team. 

Rick Baranczuk (pharmacy technician): Our team dynamic has evolved over the past two years that I’ve been at the store. Each of us seems to have a particular strength in one area, and when combined with each other, we have a strong working team. We all realize that we have to pitch in to help whenever necessary to get the job done and to keep the department running smoothly.

What does your team do to keep the community healthy?

Dr. Partel: There are always new initiatives at Rite Aid for us to be able to help everybody, but we also go out in the community for immunization clinics. Years ago, we only administered flu shots, but now we do pneumonia and tetanus. We have even offered a hepatitis C clinic for one organization. 

The first year I did immunizations right after I graduated, I did maybe 10 or 20. Nobody was really wanting to get a shot in the pharmacy at that time. Now we do thousands of vaccinations every year at our store. 

Popowitch: With customers who are coming in right now, it’s the beginning of flu season, so I’ll suggest a flu shot. While at the register, if they’re getting another vaccine like the shingles shot, I’ll suggest the flu shot or a pneumonia shot to try and make them healthier.

How has your team evolved to meet the needs of patients?

Dr. Partel: I am more involved with helping customers clinically: helping them manage their medications and making sure their immunization records are complete. 

There are a few assisted living facilities in our area, so we do have a lot of older customers and  we will provide deliveries for them as well.

How does your team form relationships with your customers?

Popowitch: I treat every customer as if they were family. A lot of patients have told me about their families and they may bring their kids in. When they move away, it is very, very sad—like losing a family member.

Baranczuk: It’s important to forge a relationship with our customers: remembering them on sight, addressing them by name, asking how they are, and offering general small talk. Some of our older customers don’t always have someone to engage with, so it makes their visits a little enjoyable. If we are engaging, listening, and being helpful and courteous, our customers feel confident that they are getting the best service. It lets them know that they have an ally to help them whenever they need us.