Transformative innovation knows no age limit. Central Drugs, a 111-year-old independently owned pharmacy in Portland, Ore., serves many customers who fall outside of the city’s traditional healthcare system — they are uninsured or underinsured and have no regular primary-care physician. Its typical customer is a low-income person with HIV who needs multiple healthcare interventions.
To meet these needs, Central Drugs, led by co-owner Shelley Bailey, re-invented itself as a “connector” for its customers, linking them up with other needed healthcare resources. By doing so, Bailey and Central Drugs improve the overall health status of the community they serve.
The mission for Central Drugs under Bailey moving forward is to identify and procure additional healthcare resources as the volume and medical complexity of its customer base grows.