The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Christie Kienast, The Quill
Wear Drug of Carthage has opened up in their new location in La Harpe this week. The new business in town opened its doors on Monday, June 11th, but has been in business in Carthage since August of 2006.
The La Harpe location will be classified as a Remote Consultation Site.
This means that no inventory will be carried there and no prescriptions can be filled there. There will also not be a pharmacist on site.
There is the possibility for there to be one for educational sessions as topics arise.
There will be a Certified Pharmacy Technician on site during business hours.
The pharmacy will be open from 10 am -5:30 pm Monday thru Friday. Prescriptions will be delivered to La Harpe twice a day and can be picked up during business hours at the site.
One delivery will be made before the store opens so all prescriptions called in on the afternoon before, will be there for pick-up the following morning.
The second delivery will come in the afternoon so all prescriptions called in during the morning will be available that afternoon.
Wear will still do home deliveries on the current days of Tuesday and Friday with the possibility that this could be expanded in the future. It will depend on the logistics.
There will also be a private counseling room at the store that has a computer that will allow people to see and speak with a pharmacist at the Carthage store if they have any questions.
Wear Drug will have all prescription drugs and a limited over the counter selection. They will also carry some basic medical supplies in the La Harpe location. Since they will have so many deliveries, the goods and services offered by MORE Medical will also be available through this location.
MORE Medical, which is also owned by the family, carries mobility aids (crutches,walkers, wheel chairs, etc.) respiratory services (CPAP, oxygen, nebulizers,etc.), emergency response system and many other items (hospital beds, lift chairs, catheters, ostomy supplies, etc.)
Wear Drug also services the needs of long- term care (nursing home) patients, so they hope to provide an alternative choice for those patients and their families.
There will be one full-time position in the office.
The business will provide additional hours for their delivery drivers. It is possible to expand delivery from the La Harpe store if the work load requires it.
Wear Drug accepts most all prescription insurance plans, including Medicare Part B & D plans, Illinois Medicaid and almost all other insurances.
When asked what made them decide to come to La Harpe, they said the family has always liked La Harpe, and they got a good vibe from the town when they began kicking around the idea.
They felt La Harpe was a good fit for their business and it is capable of supporting this type of venture.
Wear Drug is owned by Craig and Anita Wear.
Craig spent most of his life in this area and is a 1997 graduate of Warsaw High School.
Anita was born and raised in Bombay (Mumbai) India before she came to Drake University in 1999 to study pharmacy.
Craig and Anita both graduated from Drake in 2004 with pharmacy degrees. After graduation, they moved back to Hamilton, Illinois where they still reside. The couple was married in 2005 and opened Wear Drug in Carthage in 2006.
They also started MORE Medical in Carthage in 2008 with partner Ryan Jacquot and started Lake Hill Winery in Carthage this year. The couple has 2 year old twins Priya and Myles and and 8 month old Troy. Craig's dad Charlie and his family live in Fountain Green and Craig spent many nights cheering for La Harpe in sporting events when his sisters Carlie and Carter played for La Harpe.
Wear Drug is taking one step at a time. It is possible to convert this satellite office in to a full pharmacy if the support is great enough. But that would be very difficult in today's pharmacy climate. It takes a much greater prescription volume to make money than it did even when they started in 2007.
The company really hopes to get involved within the community in any way they can. They hope to not only provide sales tax revenue, but also enable people to fulfill their needs without having to leave town as often, hopefully leading to more sales for other local businesses.
Craig and Anita are excited to be opening in La Harpe and they look forward to building relationships around town and growing a business that will last a long time.
They are very appreciative of Judy Mueller and Monica Crim and her staff at the La Harpe Family Rural Health Clinic where they will be housing their pharmacy. The pharmacy plans on having a pharmacist at the new site all week to get to know people and answer any questions that arise.
Please stop in and say hello, even if you have no prescriptions. Feedback from members of the community would be welcome.