'MO - May 2008 - (Page 12)

community Owners/Pharmacists Guy Forte (left) and Darren Augenstein ‘Mo biZ SeattleMeds: Healthcare Gets Personal An Independently Owned Neighborhood Pharmacy by lisa Walls SeattleMeds unremarkable name belies an ethic for compassionate and personal service long lost to its big-chain pharmacy competition. The owners, Darren Augenstein and Guy Forte, want their business to be not just a pharmacy, but a community resource too. Their primary area of expertise is meeting the needs of people with HIV and preventive health and health maintenance for the LGBT community. “When people come here I know them on a ﬁrst-name basis,” said Darren. “I establish a rapport so people feel comfortable talking about issues they need advice on regarding their health care.” The pharmacy opened last November. Before they sank their own cash into the new business, Darren and Guy were pharmacists actively seeking a change. The two had unknowingly applied for each other’s old jobs before a doctor they both knew had them meet. “After talking and comparing notes we came to the conclusion we should start our own pharmacy,” said Darren. The idea formed the night they met. After months of planning, they opened their doors. The search for a building took three or four months. Their current location, next door to Swedish Hospital in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, is perfect. “The leasing agent for Swedish had this available and we decided to take it. The build-out was easy; it only took about two weeks,” said Guy. The two have been known to pick up prescriptions for their patients from nearby doctors’ ofﬁces if patients aren’t able to manage the trip. “The bulk of our docs are within a few blocks,” Guy said. Independent pharmacies are going the way of the independent bookstore—they’ve been quietly disappearing. “You have to generate a following to make it in this business,” said Darren. SeattleMeds’ list of patients is long; both men are pleased with how fast business has grown. Some of their old patients followed them to their new shop. Partners in business but not in life (Guy’s been married to the same woman for 36 years), the two share similar values. “We don’t think exactly alike but we complement each other. We’re both open minded,” said Guy. “I tend to get more pissed off about things I don’t think are fair,” said Guy. Guy has successfully battled insurance companies for necessary medications for his patients. Once, a client with HIV had a condition for which he needed an expensive drug; Guy called the insurance company to get approval to dispense it. He was told there’d be a 72-hour wait. Guy knew that without the medication his client would be hospitalized. “The person on other end of line was unqualiﬁed. My client needed the prescription or he’d have been in the hospital,” said Guy. He assertively and successfully lobbied the company to pony up. Owning their own pharmacy gives Guy and Darren time to advocate for patients. Even though they’re up against the pressures of insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies providing exclusive contracts to competitors, and big-chain pharmacies, they’re both reinvigorated about practicing their profession. Before, both were feeling completely disillusioned. Luckily, their burgeoning roster of patients will allow them to pursue their passion for wholistic, patientcentered care. Darren wants his shop to have a smalltown feel, an experience he couldn’t create when he worked for chain pharmacies. Guy is able to exercise his strong sense of social justice. He said, “Those people who are imposing their religious beliefs and morals on others probably shouldn’t be pharmacists. We haven’t gotten a call yet for Plan B, but I feel compelled to stock it. Deciding when life begins is not for pharmacists to decide. There’s a need for Plan B and that need should be met.” SeattleMeds Pharmacy is located at 801 Broadway, Suite 100, in the Heath Building on the Swedish Medical Center First Hill campus. Call 206.382.2087, or ﬁnd them on the Web at www.SeattleMeds.com. celebrating seattle’s gay community 12 http://www.madabsfitness.com http://www.SeattleMeds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - May 2008

'MO - May 2008 Contents Letter From the Editor Voices Instant Activist Pet Project 'mo-BIZ: SeattleMeds Pharmacy 'mo-Money: The Federal Reserve 'mo Magazine Interview with Will & Grace Star Leslie Jordan Form & Function: Better Legs By Summer Healthy Alternatives Vancouver: Heading North in Rail Time Book Review: Where Are You Now? By Mary Higgins Clark Seattle International Film Festival Preview Capitol Hill Guide SceneOut: People@Places 'mo-Single Q&A

'MO - May 2008

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