Independent pharmacy opening in East Palestine community in October
Meet one of the co-owners of the new East Palestine Elite Pharmacy who is looking forward to welcoming customers in October and improving access to essential prescriptions and vaccinations for the community.
Jacob Sweet grew up in Portage County and graduated from the University of Akron. He earned his doctorate in pharmacy at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2022.
Sweet started Elite Pharmacy with Daniel Jones, who attended Youngstown State University and NEOMED.
According to the National Library of Medicine, nearly 30% of the nation’s 88,930 retail pharmacies operating between 2010 and 2020 had closed by 2021.
“Independent pharmacies are dying very rapidly; a pharmacy closes almost every day,” Sweet said. “Dan and I both come from small towns, and what drives us is keeping small towns and little pharmacies alive.”
Sweet said he connected with East Palestine’s village manager Antonio Diaz-Guy and learned how East Palestine residents are traveling at least 10 miles to access the closest pharmacy.
“It’s a 25-30 minute drive to get medicines. Most people already don’t want to take them, so having that additional barrier for distance is not helpful. We wanted to bring a pharmacy back into town and give the people the care that they deserve. The town has been phenomenal.”
Sweet said they’re putting the finishing touches on the pharmacy before opening to the community on Oct. 1.
“We looked at a few options, and the Ianozone’s pizza shop was a good fit,” Sweet said. “Our landlords, Karen and Rick Gorby, are super nice people and we got along great. We told them what layout would be best for us and they outfitted it. We added the gondolas and flat wall, then our pharmacy fixtures, where we work and store drugs. The painting is getting finished soon.”
Elite Pharmacy offers prescription transfers and vaccines, including COVID-19, RSV and pneumonia, as well as free delivery to Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage and Trumbull counties.
“We do plan to accept most insurances, pretty much all of them, and if somebody has an insurance that we’re not contracted with, we will work with the insurance company to become a part of a plan,” Sweet said.
The pharmacy also offers testing for cholesterol and blood pressure, and prescriptions for pets.
“We want to chat; that’s why we do what we do,” Sweet said. “We want to hear about your kids, grandkids, your dog and your cat. We don’t work a day; it’s just hanging out, having fun and taking care of people. That’s what gets me going.”
