Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 288: Dr. Deepa Pattani is bringing back the old-fashioned pharmacy experience in Allen, Texas.

• Sophia Yvette

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What Makes Dr. Deepa Pattani with Allen Pharmacy and Wellness a Good Neighbor?

Ever wondered if there's a better approach to pharmacy care than the impersonal experience at big chain stores? Dr. Deepa Pattani is reviving the lost art of the neighborhood pharmacy through Allen Pharmacy and Wellness.

Drawing from over 20 years of pharmaceutical expertise across hospitals, retail chains, and universities, Dr. Pattani noticed a troubling pattern: patients would recover in hospitals only to be readmitted days later. This observation sparked her mission to bridge the gap between hospital discharge and home care, eventually blossoming into a full-service community pharmacy that puts relationship-based care at its center.

Allen Pharmacy and Wellness specializes in serving elderly patients who've accumulated numerous medications over years of specialist visits. Rather than simply dispensing pills, Dr. Pattani's team evaluates whether each medication still serves its purpose, often helping seniors reduce their pill burden while improving quality of life. Their patient-centered approach extends beyond their storefront with delivery services covering a 60-mile radius, making healthcare accessible to homebound individuals and those in assisted living facilities.

What's perhaps most remarkable is how this pharmacy has thrived solely through word-of-mouth referrals. When patients experience care that prioritizes their overall wellness instead of just treating symptoms, they naturally spread the word. The pharmacy also partners with local nonprofits to ensure financial constraints don't prevent community members from accessing essential medications.

Whether you're looking for medication management, travel vaccines, or simply a pharmacist who knows your name and health journey, Allen Pharmacy and Wellness offers a refreshing alternative to impersonal chain experiences.

To learn more about Allen Pharmacy and Wellness, go to: allenpharmacywellness.com

Allen Pharmacy and Wellness

972-372-9775


Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a pharmacy company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Dr Deepa Patani, with Allen Pharmacy and Wellness. Dr Patani, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing really well. Thank you so much for the lovely introduction, Ms Sophia, and I'm super excited to be here.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and super excited to have you on Now. Can you start by telling our listeners a little bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

Yes, hi, so I'm the owner and pharmacist at Allen Pharmacy and Wellness.

Speaker 3:

We're located on Stacy and Waters in Allen, texas, and we're about six years in, and we started the pharmacy as a way to be a part of the community, because I'm a firm believer of not everything needs to be handled through medications, and you know there's a lot that we can do, and so I wanted to really have that old neighborly pharmacy place that you know we all kind of sometimes our parents and grandparents and everyone grew up with, where a pharmacist would know things about you and your health and can guide you in that journey. And we just don't have that kind of pharmacy environment anymore, and so that's why we built Allen Pharmacy and Wellness, so that we can have that community where everyone in the community can come together, they can feel comfortable and safe to share their health concerns with their pharmacist and that they can get some good guidance on how they can improve their life as they age, and how they can age well and be healthy and improve their quality of life not just with taking medication.

Speaker 2:

Wow. And Dr Patani, how did you originally get into this business or come up with the idea for it?

Speaker 3:

So I have a doctorate in pharmacy and I won't date how old I am, I just have 20 plus years of experience in the pharmacy world and I worked in every capacity as a pharmacist. I've worked with industry, I've worked with the big retail chains, I've worked with universities. I've just, you know, I've done a lot of different things as a pharmacist. I've even worked in the hospital setting for a good decade, and I kind of kept seeing the same trend again and again, and that was, you know, when a patient gets sick and they go into the hospital, they would get better, and then they would leave the hospital, only to wind up back in the hospital a couple days later. And so that that always kind of plagued me, like what was going on with their care? Where was their care falling apart after they left the hospital? Why is it, you know, why is it such, a, such a challenging place to navigate for people?

Speaker 3:

And so that's when I kind of had started my consulting company before starting the pharmacy, where I would really guide patients that left the hospital and help them with that transition from going from the hospital to the home. And we did that for about three years and we were doing really well just helping all the patients stay out of the hospital once they got home. And then slowly that transitioned into the need for okay. Well, these patients don't just need someone right after they transition, they also need to continue their care. And so then we've just kind of seen the need in the community and tried to continue to fill that need. And so here we are six years after that, so about nine years we've been doing this in the community.

Speaker 2:

Wow. Now, dr Patani, we know that marketing is the heart of every business. Who are your target customers or clients, I should say and, in terms of marketing, how do you currently attract them?

Speaker 3:

We have a soft spot for the elderly population, especially because you know they, as they've kind of gotten older too and their health has deteriorated over time Every doctor they see we just start accumulating a whole list of medications by the time we get to a certain age, and so that's where our specialty is. We really help our elderly population reduce the number of pills that they need to be taking. We evaluate if it's things that they need to take, if the meds that they were on, have they served their purpose, are they still serving their purpose or not, or what changes we need to make to that. So that is really still our soft spot, so, and we deliver in a 60 mile radius. So you know our target audience is anyone, that is, you know, either a homebound person, an elderly person that can't get to the pharmacy, that needs help looking through their medication, whether they're living in an assisted living facility or an independent living facility, then those are our target audience right now and the way that we market to them is we haven't done any marketing.

Speaker 3:

All of our patients have really come to us through word of mouth and we have just continued to grow in that manner. Because once they've kind of come in contact with us and they've seen where our heart is and how we help them, and then they just kind of go out and tell everybody else and that's how we've kind of stayed in business all these years.

Speaker 2:

Wow, now, have you ever thought of having your own podcast? One second so, dr Patani, have you ever thought of having your own podcast?

Speaker 3:

I have. It's just a lot of work for like one business owner to try to do everything grow your business, actually take care of the patients. I would love to. I've just been on several podcasts. I've taught some classes at the local community colleges because I love to teach, and then every now and then I do have a private Facebook group for our patients at Allen Pharmacy and then I also do just kind of post now on social and share my tips and you know things to do and things like that. Just whenever it comes to me, I just share the tip right away on social platforms. Um, but no, I don't have my own podcast at the moment outside of work.

Speaker 2:

What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

I love to read, I love to travel and see the world and um really like to just see how different people, like generally live their lives. And when you spend enough time with everyone, you kind of realize that we're not all that different, so that I love doing that. I love to travel.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Now, Dr Patani, what is one thing you would like our listeners to remember about Allen pharmacy and wellness?

Speaker 3:

So the one thing that I would like for our listeners to remember about us is if you're in any kind of a bind that we can really help with and also like delivery, and so if there's any kind of jam that our patients are ever in, we also work with several nonprofits in the organization and we work with a lot of people in the community that can't afford their medications. And so if you're in any of those situations, if you find yourself in those places where you need help right away, you need some medications right away then you know, please do think of us. We try our best to try to make sure that you're taken care of and that you know things don't escalate in your health and that if we can be of any assistance in those matters, then we would be privileged to walk that path alongside them.

Speaker 2:

Any final words for our listeners today about Allen Pharmacy and Wellness.

Speaker 3:

No, except for you know, like I said, we have zero marketing that we do. But if you've ever used us or come see us on Stacey and Waters, and if you've ever used us or come, come see us on Stacey and Waters, and and if you are currently a patient of ours, then you know, please help us spread the word and that's how we kind of grow and can help take care of more people in our community. So so, as any small business owner would request your reviews, your likes, you just talking about us and sharing about us with your friends and family, that can. That is the biggest gift that you can give us. So thank you.

Speaker 2:

What about a website our listeners can go to to learn more about Allen Pharmacy and Wellness?

Speaker 3:

Yes, our, we do have a website. It's called. It's allenpharmacywellnesscom, and we also have a private Facebook page and a group called Allen Pharmacy and Wellness, so you're welcome to find us there and ask us about any kind of questions. We do travel vaccines, we do pretty much a lot of the things that you could need help with, and so we would be very happy to help with any of those. And if we are not, we're still very well connected with our chamber and and other resources, so when we are not able to help, we would love to guide you to somebody who can help you. So think of us as a resource in the community and and we would love to see you and get to know you Well, dr Patani.

Speaker 2:

I really appreciate you being on today's show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much, ms Sophia, and it was a pleasure to get to know you as well. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345.