On a rainy, cold, windy Oct. 23, the Coudersport Pharmacy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its grand opening. The pharmacy has been in business and functioning for two weeks, filling a gaping hole in services to Potter County residents, since both Buchanan Brothers Pharmacy and the local Rite Aid closed their doors in late August of this year.

Prior to this opening, people needing medication either had to drive about an hour in any direction to receive things like antibiotics, pain medicine, and health-sustaining medication, or else drive to the local hospital, UPMC Cole, where Sprouts was delivering medications daily to clients from a vehicle in the parking lot between 1-3 p.m.

For many who lacked transportation or health insurance, their status remains unknown.

Chris Darling, the owner of the pharmacy, said, “We’re really excited…we’ve been serving the Coudersport community from our Sprouts location in Shinglehouse…They had been absorbing an overwhelming amount of prescriptions from Coudersport, Smethport, Eldred, and Port Allegany. The staff has been outstanding, they really stepped up.”

Darling mentioned that he also owns a pharmacy in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, noting that the distance between the pharmacies was lengthy for their staff, who worked “very hard” to keep up with the demand. “Really, we were working some days from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.,” said Darling.

He went on to say that the transition from Sprouts to the Coudersport Pharmacy was much easier than the transition from Rite Aid, because they could “see the people’s profiles in our system…so it was very easy for us to transfer them.”

Darling concluded the interview with, “We all need access to health care, education, groceries…and we see these things disappearing, and it doesn’t make sense. We need legislative change in Pennsylvania…[because Pennsylvania is] losing one pharmacy per day, on average.” 

Robert Rossman, Potter County Commissioner, said that the pharmacy opening was, “A lot of hard work…but, we’re excited.”

Donna and Walter Foust, Coudersport residents, came out to support the Coudersport Pharmacy’s Grand Opening. When asked what it has been like not to have a pharmacy in Coudersport, Donna said, “It’s been different,” and gestured toward her husband. She continued, “He needed heart medicine, and we had to drive to Shinglehouse…[Sprouts Pharmacy] has been so accommodating, though.”

Donna went on to say that the day she went to Sprouts, it was almost time for them to close by the time she got there, and she was in line for 45 minutes, but that the pharmacy staff made sure that everyone’s prescriptions were filled before they closed.

Roy Weidler, another Potter County resident, mentioned that he was a veteran, so he goes to the VA for his medications, but that his wife is not, “So it is nice to have somebody local we can go to.”

Andrea Streich, Director of the Cole Foundation, was at the ribbon cutting ceremony representing UPMC Cole, and she said, “This is huge…we’ve been hoping for a long, long time that somebody would come and open this back up. This is a great thing.”

Jamie Evans, Director of Operations for UPMC Cole and UPMC, was standing with Ron Reynolds by the refreshments provided by the pharmacy. Evans said, “It’s about partnerships. It’s about our patients first, our community first. We cannot do without a pharmacy…Whatever we can do to support the continuation of this, we intend to do.”