Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Photos by Ryan McGill

It’s one of life’s inevitabilities that we all require the services of a pharmacy. Whether we’re dealing with short-lived illnesses or more chronic conditions that require recurring visits to have maintenance prescriptions filled, choosing the right pharmacy is important. 

There are many choices out there, including nationally known chains and locally owned, independent community pharmacies. Walker County has several independent pharmacies that provide trustworthy, professional, and patient-focused care. 

In the 45 years Neil Evans has practiced pharmacy, his goal has always been to help create a better quality of life for the patients he serves. There were many routes for practice he could’ve taken, like hospital or chain pharmacy, but he knew that practicing in a community pharmacy setting was the best way he could achieve his goal.

“What makes community pharmacies stand out across the board is personal care,” says Evans, managing pharmacist at Jasper’s English Plaza Pharmacy. “We really emphasize the personal care aspect at English Plaza and we want to provide service that is comfortable and accessible.”

“Our regular patients are like our friends,” he adds. “We know their medications, but we also know their names, and a lot of times we know what’s going on in their lives beyond their medical needs. We will always take the extra steps to support our customers and bring value to our community.”

English Plaza Pharmacy is a patient education and health resource destination. From the time a prescription is dropped off to when it is picked up, the best interest of the patient is at the heart of every step along the way.

Three full-time pharmacists are on staff to lend a hand with medication, counseling, and patient care. Technicians work alongside those pharmacists to ensure prescription quality, as well as provide personalized services unique to the needs of each patient, including prescription counseling, immunizations and vaccinations, durable medical equipment, and diabetes education and supplies.

“Pharmacy was the one career path I could see that, if I followed it, I could bring back into my home community and provide for the people here,” says McClain Burrough, head pharmacist and co-owner of Carbon Hill Drugs. 

The lifelong native of Carbon Hill has a deep appreciation for the place he calls home and how, throughout his life, the people there have shown him unwavering support in all his endeavors. Burrough now reciprocates that support daily through his practice of pharmacy, leading the pharmacy team in their mission to provide personalized service and care.

“There’s the narrative that ‘all pharmacies do is count pills’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Burrough says. “At Carbon Hill Drugs, we fill your prescriptions, but we’re also a fully-encompassing healthcare provider.”

Carbon Hill Drugs provides essential pharmacy services like prescription counseling and immunizations, but also offers specialty services like free home delivery, prescription convenience programs, diabetes education, and point-of-care testing. 

“We have a clinical setup that allows us to test you for various illnesses, and we have a classroom where we provide education and counseling,” says Burrough. “I think most notably, we have a really robust program for prescription convenience. We can synchronize your maintenance medications to all be filled at the same time, and we can package them with our RapidPak system, so the doses are pre-divided for you, taking a little bit of stress out of your life.” 

Burrough and the team at Carbon Hill Drugs work fervently to stay ahead of the curve and in line with where the ever-changing profession of pharmacy is headed, while keeping personalization at the forefront of their practice. 

“We take the time to get to know our patients; it’s one of our points of emphasis,” Burrough says. “We are advocates for our patients because they are the strength of our community. It's because of them that our business can flourish.”

Chris Henslee opened Dora Discount Pharmacy in 2009 to serve the East Walker community with friendly, professional, and accessible service. The Dora Discount Pharmacy team helps take care of their patients’ prescription needs with very little wait time while still maintaining high quality, accuracy, and service with a smile. 

“Our patients are our neighbors, our families, and our friends. They know us and we know them,” Henslee says. “We pride ourselves in being well-known for fast and friendly service, as well as dedication to the overall well-being of the people we care for.”

English Plaza Pharmacy, Carbon Hill Drugs, and Dora Discount Pharmacy are three examples of the locally owned independent pharmacies in and around Walker County that provide a myriad of professional pharmaceutical services with personalized attention to the needs of the community. If you are looking for personalized service focused on your family’s healthcare needs, consider choosing a local community pharmacy. 78