The role of community pharmacy is constantly evolving. Now more than ever, pharmacists are searching for new ways to drive revenue and, most importantly, improve patient care.
We sat down with Brittany Sanders, Co-Owner of The Pharmacy at Wellington in Little Rock, Arkansas, and winner of the 2025 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year Award, to get her insights around:
RedSail: Thanks for being here today, Brittany. To start, why don’t you give us a little background about you and your pharmacy?
Brittany Sanders: Thank you for having me. My name is Brittany Sanders, and I am Co-Owner of The Pharmacy at Wellington in Little Rock, Arkansas. We opened our store 10 years ago and have since become a deep part of the community. Before this, I worked in the pharmacy chain environment for about 12 years. I faced many challenges there and, like so many others, had to fight for hours for our staff and advocate for the right ways to take care of our patients. I eventually grew tired of fighting for what I felt was right and thought, ‘there has to be a better way to do this.’ I knew we could do this better if we ventured out on our own. And because we were so determined to treat and care for people using an approach that was different than the mainstream experience, our patients followed us. They believed in us and came with us down the street and now we've become a cornerstone in the community. We've expanded over the years with things like a drive-thru and clinic rooms, immunization offerings, and testing and treating cognitive conditions. We're also about to roll out the GUIDE program to help take care of patients with dementia. Our goal is always to see and fill the needs within our community.
RedSail: That's amazing. And congratulations on 10 years!
Brittany Sanders: Thank you. We're so proud of the last 10 years and are looking forward to the next 10.
RedSail: So, you just won Independent Pharmacist of the Year. Obviously, you’re doing a lot of things right. What do you believe has made you so successful?
Brittany Sanders: I think the biggest marker of success is when you get buy-in from the community. When you take care of patients the same way that you would want parents, family, friends, or yourself to be cared for, it goes a long way. We've done medical at home and compliance packaging for a long time.
Not being afraid to try something new has been our biggest driver of success. You know, if there's a new program out there, we just say yes. We try it. And some things work great and some are less great. But we're not afraid to get out there and try something new and different.
If it's something that we see as a benefit to the community, we invest in making it available to our patients. One example of this was during COVID-19. Vaccines needed to be ultra cold. We bought an ultra-cold freezer before it was the popular thing to do so that we were prepared once vaccines were more widely available. So being aware of what’s happening in the industry and in the community so we can make moves quickly is something that I recommend all pharmacies do to stay ahead.
RedSail: That's great advice. Do you have any recommendations on where pharmacists should start?
Brittany Sanders: I would suggest brainstorming how you can become a hub for your community. The Pharmacy at Wellington partnered with the health department to provide rabies and monkeypox vaccines for their staff. Being this touch point in the community and being known for our willingness to do these things has created trust with patients and the greater community. Another example was when the state saw a need for another yellow fever vaccine site. Due to our growing role as a hub in the community, we were a logical site for administering these vaccines. This helped grow our travel vaccine business within the community, but also from neighboring towns a couple hours away. We’ve protected many people by administering immunizations before they travel.
RedSail: That's amazing. I remember trying to find a place that would vaccinate me before traveling out of the country, and it was hard. So that's an incredibly valuable resource that I don't think I've heard many pharmacies talk about. Switching gears, it's an interesting time in pharmacy right now. There are a lot of challenges and also a lot of growth opportunities, but I'd love to hear about the challenges you see in the industry, especially for independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners of one or two sites.
Brittany Sanders: You know, reimbursement is definitely a challenge. And that's why you must explore other ways to drive revenue to the stores. Offering more clinical services and things that pharmacy has not traditionally offered in the past are becoming more important as the dispensing revenue declines. Those margins are getting much tighter. We're also seeing more pushes for direct to patient options, such as shipping from manufacturers and cutting the pharmacy out of the equation. But we know this is not good when it comes to patient care. We, as pharmacists, are a tremendous resource for the community. Some patients visit us 2-3 times a month, whereas they only see their primary healthcare provider once a year. So, eliminating the pharmacy definitely poses a challenge for the patient’s overall care. I've seen pharmacists who aren't willing to integrate these new clinical services struggle more than those that have embraced that new role. And this is even more difficult if you're a one-man shop. It's hard to create the time for these services. Leaning on support staff is important to free up pharmacists' time to practice at the top of their license. So, think about how you can leverage staff to maximize pharmacist efficiency. Can you employ community health workers or nurses to help execute some of the clinical care programs, to lessen the administrative burden? There are some new roles with really good skill sets in the health care industry that can be maximized in a pharmacy setting. It's things that technicians are very capable of doing and, by enabling them to get those resources out into the community, they help expand the services that pharmacists offer by freeing up their time to provide more clinical care.
RedSail: I love the discussion around community health workers and thinking about ways to grow the roles of pharmacy staff to empower the pharmacists to practice at the top of their license and provide what's truly best for patients.
Brittany Sanders: And it's great for staff. They embrace these new roles because of the growth that they receive being a part of these new projects. So, it's a win for the community and the pharmacy.
RedSail: What other growth opportunities do you see today for pharmacists and independent pharmacies?
Brittany Sanders: I think that as the general population ages, there's a real need in the communities for medication management and compliance packaging. Med at Home is a great way for pharmacists to help the right patients stay independent longer. And I think that should be a key component of any community pharmacy -- offering the services patients need to differentiate yourself from the competition. This is something that independent pharmacy can do very well. It sets community pharmacy or independent pharmacy apart from chains and other pharmacies.
RedSail: As we are nearing the end of 2025, are there specific strategies or things you are hoping to implement in 2026? What do you see for the year ahead of you? For the store and for you personally?
Brittany Sanders: I’m excited to see what happens with the momentum with legislation. Arkansas has worked hard to make changes at the state level. Governor Sanders has been very supportive of community pharmacy, and I’m hoping this support becomes more widespread throughout the country. I’m eager to see how that plays out over the next 12 months or so. There are lawsuits against our recent legislation that'll maybe take a year or two to unfold. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. As for our store, we're rolling out the GUIDE program. We’re excited to explore all that we can do for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s in our community.
RedSail: That's incredible. Arkansas is certainly ahead of the game, and we are hopeful to see the legislation move forward in other states as well.
Brittany Sanders: There are also changes with the Medicare Transaction Facilitator (MTF) program. So, awareness is important. It can certainly impact cash flow, and pharmacists need to be aware and pay attention to what leaders within the industry are saying so that it doesn't catch them off guard. Every year there's a new challenge to pharmacy cash flow.
My advice for pharmacists who don't have time to look up from the bench, or don't feel like they have time to look up from the bench, is to make the time.
Be aware and pay attention and heed the advice of the leaders within the industry to be prepared for what's going to happen in the year to come.
RedSail: Well, Brittany, this has been a pleasure. You provided wonderful insights that will help other pharmacists as the role of independent pharmacy evolves. Thank you so much for your time. And congratulations again on winning the 2025 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year Award.
Brittany Sanders: I really appreciate you doing this. It's an honor. This award is a reflection of our whole team, all the staff, and all that have come before us to pave the way and push things forward. It's such an honor to be recognized as somebody who's practicing at the top of their license. So, thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to do this.
As we head into the final weeks of 2025 and look ahead at 2026, ask yourself if you are making the most of your pharmacy license. Could you integrate new programs into your store to drive revenue? Is your staff built for efficiency? Are you subscribed to industry-leading publications and resources like NCPA? Create a check list using Brittany’s recommendations to make the most of your pharmacy and ultimately drive positive health outcomes in your community.
