Schnucks tackles chronic conditions

On top of its 101 in-store pharmacies, Schnucks last year opened four specialty pharmacies, offering specialized services to patients.


The pharmacies offer services for patients living with such chronic conditions as HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune diseases, as well as for people recovering from organ transplants, said company spokesman Paul Simon. “It’s for patients who require special attention and hard-to-source medication,” he added.


Of the four specialty pharmacies, two are within Schnucks stores, beside the regular pharmacy, and two are stand-alone stores in medical offices. The stores have been introduced over the past two years, and more could be introduced going forward. 


The specialty pharmacies run largely by appointment because these patients typically need a lot of counseling and one-on-one services. “The goal is to make life a little bit easier for the patient,” Simon explained, “with lots of counseling, advice [and] information on how to manage their condition, drugs, insurance, etc.”


Free home delivery and refill-reminder phone calls are two other services the specialty pharmacies provide. In Schnucks regular pharmacies, the chain continues its successful programs of $4 generic drugs and free antibiotics and prenatal vitamins. Immunizations also draw customers. 


Within the regular pharmacies, Schnucks offers diabetes education through its certified diabetes educator pharmacists. As word spreads, more diabetes patients are taking advantage of this program, Simon pointed out.


Another service the pharmacies offer is a 
vision-screening test. “It’s no substitution for a trip to the eye doctor, but it’s a good indication if there should be a trip to the eye doctor — and it’s free,” Simon said. The stores also provide information on local eye doctors for patients who need it.


And finally, the Schnucks stores are a hub for a twice-weekly mammography van run by Barnes-Jewish Hospital.