Park Pharmacy Fills Needs For Neighbors

The phrase “shop local” may conjure up images of gifts, clothing and produce for many consumers, but Park Pharmacy in Severna Park aims to expand those thoughts to include pharmaceutical needs.

“They’re keeping that tradition of the independent pharmacy still intact in this day and age where all these bigger chain pharmacies try to take over,” said Andrew Muñoz, pharmacy manager at Park Pharmacy.

Muñoz is referring to the Professional Pharmacy Group, a collection of independent pharmacies of which Park Pharmacy is a part of. Muñoz served in the same role at another of the group’s pharmacies, Annapolis Professional Pharmacy, until his recent move to the Severna Park location.

The pharmacist could not be more excited to be in Severna Park, an area he and his family call home.

“It’s really cool to live and work in the same town,” Muñoz said. “We’re serving the people that we live next to.”

It is customer service that Muñoz hopes will attract new faces to the pharmacy in Park Plaza shopping center. He also works to ensure existing customers continue to receive personalized and top-notch care, whether that’s filling a prescription, discussing side effects, providing vaccines, finding accessories for mobility devices or just chatting.

“If I’m able to put a smile on a face or shed some light through the way that we present, or give service, talk to them — then I feel like I’ve done my job,” Muñoz said.

Park Pharmacy staff members stress that they offer benefits that go far beyond being local. Because the pharmacy is independent, it doesn’t face some of the supplier constraints that some pharmacies do, such as not letting the pharmacist see the pricing or only offering one or two vendors to secure products from.

With high-profile medication shortages plaguing the U.S. — such as medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as some antibiotics — Park Pharmacy is not constrained from reaching out to multiple vendors and sources to secure what a patient is seeking.

“I will go above and beyond, and I have the flexibility and independence,” Muñoz said. “It’s the customer service to really try to take care of the customer’s needs.”

The Howard University College of Pharmacy graduate credits many mentors on his journey from a young kid in Baltimore to working at a pharmacy in the state of Washington and ultimately becoming pharmacy manager at Park Pharmacy.

Steve Wells is one of those mentors. Wells owned Park Pharmacy until November of last year. Although he sold the pharmacy after 36 years at the helm, visitors can still find Wells behind the Park Pharmacy counter a couple of days a week.

What keeps Wells coming back to the same counter even after selling the pharmacy to another local resident?

“The hometown feel, competitive prices and quick service,” Wells said.

With a mural spanning the top of its walls — depicting scenes from the area, and for an astute eye, a depiction of Wells himself — and a long counter gracing the open space, it’s a scene at Park Pharmacy that may look more familiar on the streets of European cities than it does for somebody only used to pharmacies that are part of a bigger entity, such as a grocery store.

“Our bread and butter is the pharmacy,” Muñoz said. “The pharmacy plus the service we provide is really the key for us to do well.”

Muñoz touched on flu vaccines, something that Park Pharmacy offers by appointment. He plans on getting his in October as he noted that some chain pharmacies, years ago, were trying to get flu vaccines administered earlier to get ahead of competition.

“They’re not really getting that six-month coverage; it’s too early,” Muñoz said of receiving a flu shot too early in the year.

As Muñoz spoke of Severna Park, it is with a reverence of appreciation. His mom grew up in poverty in the Philippines and later served as a nurse in the operating room. She urged him to pursue an interest in the health care field by telling him that he’d always have a job. He knew he wanted to do something different than his mom, but he didn’t ignore her maternal wisdom. His interest in pharmacy — and a Chartridge resident by the name of Rachel, now Andrew’s wife and a District 31 delegate — ultimately led him to Severna Park.

Muñoz recalled the couple buying their first home within the 21146 zip code.

“This was the dream,” Muñoz said. “To finally be blessed to live in this city is amazing.”

It is that same pride that he transfers to Park Pharmacy.

“We’re just trying to do good in this community,” Muñoz said.

Park Pharmacy is located at 580 Ritchie Highway, Suite N. The pharmacy’s hours are currently Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturday from 9:00am to 3:00pm. More information is available at www.professionalpharmacygroup.com/severna-park-office or 410-544-7275.