Johnson County Post Article: ‘This is Life and Death’ — Pharmacy of Grace Opens in Shawnee
Shawnee, KS — The Johnson County Post attended our ribbon cutting last week and their article highlights the healthcare need Pharmacy of Grace is filling in Johnson County.
When Shawnee resident Kerri Neighbors lost her job and her insurance, she needed a medication and couldn’t afford it. So she walked away from the retail pharmacy empty-handed. She says she doesn’t leave empty-handed anymore now that she’s been coming to Pharmacy of Grace.
“They have been a godsend. They have been a blessing,” said Neighbors, “I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for them because I couldn’t afford my medicines.”
Reporter Andrew Gaug described the need in Johnson County and why this opening will help many more neighbors.
A Need Hidden in Plain Sight
Johnson County is often perceived as one of the most affluent counties in the Kansas City metro. But as co-founder John Yost told the Post, the numbers tell a different story.
“There’s more uninsured people in Johnson County than even Wyandotte County, where our first location is,” he said. “Right around here, within walking distance, there’s about 2,000 people that are uninsured. To give you an idea, last year in Kansas City we served less than 2,000 people total.”
A Focus on Patient Care
Pharmacist-in-Charge Brandon Powers, who like many of our team members has worked at corporate/retail pharmacies, spoke to what makes Pharmacy of Grace different. He says our founding principle is not just dispensing medications, but making sure patients understand how to use them. Every patient talks to a pharmacist here every time.
“This gets us back to basically what we thought we were going to do when we got out of school: taking care of the patient,” Powers told the Post.
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