CVS pharmacists show commitment to diversity

Josephine Hau and Ali Hamed

Two pharmacists working at CVS/pharmacy locations 3,000 miles apart exemplify the chain’s commitment to the diverse array of communities it serves.

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Because of their efforts, Josephine Hau, a CVS pharmacist in Baldwin Park, Calif., and Ali Hamed, a pharmacist in the CVS store in Springhill, Fla., are national recipients of the company’s Paragon Award, an annual recognition of what CVS calls its “best of the best.”



“Our patients have a choice of where they can bring their scripts,” the 30-year-old Hamed said recently. “So we strive to earn their trust by giving them quality care, our full attention and the best customer service every time.”



A CVS spokesman called Hamed, the “go-to” pharmacist in his area for training new pharmacists and technicians, noting that earlier this year he organized an immunization program for local nursing home patients and provided medication education through community outreach programs.



Hamed, who said he was inspired to go into pharmacy after watching his father deal with Type 1 diabetes throughout his life, noted that working for CVS allows him to be part of a comprehensive healthcare team.



“I feel my team not only includes my immediate pharmacy staff, but also includes team members from other areas of the company that together connect the dots to ensure easy and convenient means for patients to receive their prescriptions,” he said.



For her part, CVS executives said Hau has shown “excellent leadership of her pharmacy team.”



As a pharmacist in a community with a large Chinese population, Hau’s ability to speak her patients’ native language provides an invaluable service to the community and helps ensure that patients fully understand their medications and how to use them.



It has helped drive patients from Baldwin Hills and the surrounding area into her store and led many physicians in the area to refer their Chinese-speaking patients to her.



Outside of the store, Hau volunteers her time to counsel seniors on their medications, creating what executives said is “an environment that allows them to feel comfortable to approach her with any question they may have.”



In addition, she works to promote the profession by speaking at high school career fairs where she advises prospective pharmacy students about the classes they should be taking to get into pharmacy school and regularly mentors students already enrolled in a college-level pharmacy program.