It’s a Beautiful Day (to get Vaccinated) in the Neighborhood

Written by Nicole Bendis, PharmD Candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy on Behalf of Dr. Stephanie McGrath of PPCN and Mrs. Sue Schropp RPh of The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of Latrobe, PA

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” -Fred Rogers

Latrobe is the home of television star Mr. Rogers from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. No one understands how to help your neighbor quite like the people of this town, including The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy team. This local pharmacy is located in the middle of Latrobe on Ligonier street and has been loyally serving their customers since 1977.

Christmas came early for this hometown pharmacy when they were one of the first pharmacies in the nation to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020.

Since the start of the new year, the pharmacy has hosted over twenty COVID-19 vaccine clinics that has brought the whole town together. These vaccine clinics have taken place at the local police station, local machine shops, and a local building that is now owned by the art center. These clinics could not have been possible without the support of their town’s volunteers, which included, but is not limited to retired nurses, local librarians, the chamber of commerce, the police force, the art center, and The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy staff.

On top of these clinics the pharmacy has also been administering the COVID-19 vaccines through the pharmacy itself by appointment. The pharmacy offers the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine, and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Between the vaccine appointments and the vaccine clinics, the pharmacy has been able to vaccinate over 5,000 individuals and counting. Being a part of Flip the Pharmacy Cohort 1, the pharmacy had established relationships with PPCN leadership which facilitated the launch of their revolutionary COVID-19 vaccine program. They continue to expand their services through network payer programs and diabetes education to better care for their community.

After spending time with the pharmacy team, it was clear that the town of Latrobe was grateful for these “helpers” who stepped up during the midst of the pandemic, and are continuing to promote COVID-19 vaccination to protect their community.