Pharmacy technician Sarah Muniz, CPhT, jokes that if someone’s car is broken down on the side of the road, you can expect to see her there. To the patients she serves at Safeway #2917 in Brighton, Colorado, her willingness to help a stranger doesn’t come as a surprise. She is well known for her caring nature and determination to ensure those around her are supported.

Although you may spot Muniz manning the cash register, performing data entry, or routinely auditing staff licenses to ensure they are up to date, the duties she loves most are evident in how she nurtures her relationships with her patients. 

Even customers too sick to come into the pharmacy are looked after by Muniz, who ensures every medication is delivered before she goes home. This compassion for others has put her in a position where she has been able to alert an older patient’s family members that they did not answer the door for a delivery and had been hospitalized.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when anxiety was widespread, Muniz ensured all eligible customers received at-home rapid tests and reassured nervous patients who signed up for vaccines. 

Muniz’s journey into healthcare began by working at an assisted living facility, where one of her duties involved ordering all of the patients’ medications from an independent pharmacy in town. When the owner of that pharmacy discovered she was considering moving on from her position, he immediately recruited her to come work at his pharmacy as a technician. Five years later, he sold his business to Safeway. Muniz remained with the company and is now in her 11th year working for Safeway as a certified pharmacy technician.

Her commitment to her patients has only grown stronger over the years, as many have grappled with rising prescription costs and health issues that come with aging. She has often made it her personal mission to do what she can to lower prescription costs using manufacturer coupons and discount cards like SingleCare.

“If there’s a problem, I will try to do anything to help patients, such as saving them money so they are able to afford their prescriptions or delivering their medications when they can’t get here,” she said. 

That commitment to patient health has reverberated across her community, earning her the admiration and gratitude of those she serves, which is why she was named a 2023 Best of the Best Pharmacy Award winner. Here, we speak with Muniz about what drives her to continually go above and beyond for her patients.

Tell us about the community you serve.

I have lived in Brighton my whole life. It’s a town with an older population, and there is a higher Medicare and Medicaid population in this town (a lot higher in Boulder, where I worked previously). 

I will see patterns as I’m ringing patients up. They may tell you a medication is too expensive and ask if there is any way to make it cheaper. In Boulder, some patients would pay $1,000 for a prescription and not even blink about it. At my current store, even $10 can be a lot of money for patients here. 

How do you work to keep your community healthy?

Medicaid was one of the first organizations, and one of the only ones now, that pays for COVID-19 rapid tests. Our Medicaid patients can get eight at-home tests a month at no charge, so I make sure our patients still get them. Most of the time, our patients will have kids in school, so they need those tests when they get sick.

What’s another way you serve your customers?

I try to do anything I can do for them to get them the lowest price, like finding discount cards or manufacturer coupons. I found an Eliquis coupon that brought a man’s bill down from $700 to $10. Another lady had a $30 copay for her medication, and I helped her get a card where she had to pay only $10. If there’s a problem, I will try to do anything to help them save money and get their prescriptions.

In addition to coupons, what’s another way you can help patients save money? 

If the cost of a prescribed medication is too high, and discount cards aren’t helping, I’ll advise patients to call their insurance companies to find out what’s covered better. Then I’ll call their provider’s office. Our town is pretty small, so I’ve known a lot of the nurses for years. When I call the nursing staff, I’ll explain the patient has a prescription that is not covered or is too high in cost and share what the insurance will cover. Then, I’ll ask if they can change the original prescription. If I can’t get ahold of a doctor’s office, I’ll write out a fax and send it over. 

Yesterday someone came in with a prescription for insulin and the cost was $400—even with a discount card. I told her to call her insurance and ask what they prefer. I spoke with the nurse and we worked together to find a medication for $210, which was half the price she was going to pay.

What is another way you go above and beyond?

I also deliver medications to some of our patients. Beattie’s Community Pharmacy used to deliver; when they sold, Safeway kept that service. We used to have a delivery person, but she retired, so I started doing the deliveries after that. I’ll often interact with the customers when I deliver their medications. They know me and will ask for me. Some even have my cellphone number. They’re pretty comfortable with me and let me know what they need.

Sometimes they’ll invite me in, even though I can’t go in for long. A lot of the patients are homebound, so they like seeing a friendly face. Rain or shine, or snow, I’ll go out, even though a lot of them will call and tell me to wait until the weather clears—so there’s a mutual caring there.

What do you think makes you good at your job?

A lot of our patients at this pharmacy have been here for a long time; some of them I’ve known for 15 years. This helps me anticipate what to expect and what people’s limitations are. It’s inherent in me to always try to find the best solution.