HOPE — A Hope pharmacy that was fighting for survival is now thriving amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hope Wellness Pharmacy at 645 Harrison St. is now expanding its services to areas beyond Hope, pharmacist Tim Jarnagin said.
Previously, the pharmacy only provided in-town delivery service, as well as some nearby rural areas. But now, out-of-town deliveries will be made on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting at 2 p.m., Jarnagin said.
Deliveries to Flat Rock, Hartsville, Taylorsville, Edinburgh and Columbus are now free with a prescription, Jarnagin said. Those requesting non-prescription products will be charged $5.
When Hope Wellness opened its door in February, 2017, the northeast Bartholomew County town had been without a drug store since Mills Pharmacy closed in the late 1980s.
Hope residents have long sought to keep a pharmacy in town as more than 10 percent of the town’s population is age 65 or older, with many homebound due to disabilities, according to census figures. Surveys also show people of all ages in Hope are without their own transportation, so younger relatives could not always pick up an out-of-town prescription for older loved ones.
In 2006, Hope Family Health Clinic co-founder Julie Glick Begin urged community leaders to make an in-town pharmacy a top priority. That same year, the need for a drug store was specifically placed in Hope’s comprehensive plan.
When Hope Wellness’ parent company in Bloomington first announced the pending arrival of the pharmacy during the town’s 2016 State of the City address, dozens in the audience stood and enthusiastically applauded the news.
But as it happens in several small towns, residents didn’t break their old shopping habits in order to support the new business, a town council member said last year. Rumors that Hope Wellness is on the verge of closing continue to circulate to this day, Jarnagin said.
While the Hope Town Council was told last July the pharmacy was financially struggling, Jarnagin also said his firm was dedicated to staying in town because too many in the community of 2,200 residents are not mobile.
The financial health of Hope Wellness improved after it was chosen as only the second telepharmacy approved by the state of Indiana. Statutes require telepharmacy locations to be at least 10 miles away from the nearest drug store, and to have a percentage of the population facing certain socioeconomic challenges.
Telepharmacy refers to the delivery of pharmaceutical care via telecommunications to patients in locations where they may not have direct contact with a pharmacist. In the case of Hope Wellness, pharmacists in Bloomington use monitors, cameras and microphones to link up with Hope customers to approve prescriptions and provide consultation.
“We really can’t afford to have a pharmacist five days a week,” Jarnagin told the council. “We had to go to telepharmacy in order to stay here.”
While Jarnagin only works in Hope two days a week, he said there are two certified technicians — Teresa Turner and Dana Stewart — at the pharmacy to handle filling prescriptions and other responsibilities.
