Date: Fri 10-Jul-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SUZANN

Quick Words:

Bates-Drug-Center-business

Full Text:

Bates Find Cigarette Ban Gave Rise To A Healthier Business

(with cut)

BY SUZANNA NYBERG

Since the owners of Newtown's Drug Center Pharmacy did away with their

cigarette counter last April, business has been better than ever. Don and

Diane Bates removed all smoking-related items from the family run store and

are still in the process of replacing them with more wholesome products. "That

the community has been supportive is an understatement," Mr Bates said. "So

many new people have come into the store to thank us for not selling

cigarettes."

Mr and Mrs Bates have revamped their store. They now have a breastfeeding

center, a complete line of natural supplements and a syringe drop-off center

for those who inject themselves with insulin or other medications and need to

dispose of the needles.

They will hold a blood pressure clinic Monday through Friday from 2 pm to 5

pm, and they will also offer information on how to become an organ and tissue

donor.

Monthly handouts, on topics ranging from skincare to vacationing, will offer

health and safety tips to customers. "It feels good to emphasize health

instead of profit," Mr Bates said. "We have other ways to make a living."

The breastfeeding center supplies nursing equipment to nursing mothers,

including electric breast pumps, manual pumps, and a pedal pump. It also

offers breastpumping accessories such as nursing bras and nursing pillows.

"Breastfeeding is good for the baby," Mr Bates said. "And we are happy to

offer mothers another option." While infants are always better at emptying the

breast of milk than any pump, pumps can be a valuable tool, especially for

working mothers, he noted. Rather than replace breast feeding, breast pumping

allows a woman to express milk so that her baby may continue to be fed even

when she is separated from her infant. Breast pumps also prevent breast

engorgement and ensure that breasts receive the stimulation necessary to

induce or increase lactation.

The Drug Center Pharmacy also has a homeopathic aisle and a line of vitamins

and nutrients, Physiologics, directed toward people with illnesses. A

professional, not a mass market, line, it is recommended by doctors as a

supplement to accompany prescriptions. "There are nutrients people lack

because of their diseases," Mr Bates said. "We want to give them a better

quality of life."

When a customer fills a prescription, he can obtain a computer printout

indicating what vitamins he may be lacking due to the illness. A diabetic

might not know that he needs extra magnesium to keep calcium in his system.

Women, due to their menstrual cycles, need to be aware that they need extra

iron to maintain an adequate red blood count.

Mr Bates believes the body is better prepared to solve a problem naturally

rather than with synthetic drugs that invariably have side effects and

complicate problems. He will contact the doctor when filling a prescription to

let her know his recommendations.

Mrs Bates believes that the new supplement line will increase the customer's

level of knowledge. "A lot is still unknown in healing with natural herbs,"

she said. "Now we have information to provide to the consumer." Dandelion, she

observed, purifies the blood by straining and filtering toxins from the

bloodstream; it also improves circulation. One can alleviate headaches by

rubbing lavender oil on the temples or inhaling capsaicin, a red pepper.

Much of what the Drug Center Pharmacy now offers is free of charge.

Information regarding organ donation as well as a donor card can be found on a

table in the front of the store. "People don't often think of organ donation,"

said Mr Bates. "Yet it is an issue that does come up. We're going to put it in

front of people and in their shopping bags." More than 50,000 Americans are

waiting for organ transplants while even more need tissue transplants; many

die because organs and tissue are not available. Mr Bates feels that more

organ donors simply means more lives saved.

He also hopes that the blood pressure clinic will alert people as to whether

or not they have this quiet disease. The clinic will let people know

confidentially what their blood pressure is without the anxiety of making a

doctor's appointment. "If it's high, we'll talk them into seeing a doctor, and

if it's not, they will have peace of mind," he said.

Mr Bates is even willing to incur costs to help customers. The syringe

drop-off center, for those with illnesses such as diabetes, allows customers

to safely dispose of their needles. By placing them in a special container and

bringing them back to the store, they can keep these syringes off the

roadsides and away from beaches. "Even the Health Department did not know how

to handle this problem," said Cathy Dahlmeyer, the pharmacy's health

coordinator. "Now we know how to properly dispose of them."

The slight financial loss for the disposal matters little to Mr Bates. "We

don't gain comfort from making money," he said. "As pharmacists, we gain

comfort by making people better."