I am NCPA

PHARMACY: Alissa owns Quik Stop Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy about 40 miles west of Philadelphia that specializes in high-touch patient care.

EDUCATION: Alissa earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Temple University School of Pharmacy and is a certified diabetes care and education specialist through the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.

PHARMACY DESTINY: Alissa has lived in the same community for her entire life, and her connection to pharmacy started from an early age. Her father opened his first independent store when she was 8 years old. Although she grew up in the business, Alissa was hesitant to follow in his footsteps.

“I wasn’t a fan of chemistry and dreaded the thought of focusing on it for a five-year program. Once I started pharmacy school and began applying the sciences to real patient care, everything became much more interesting,” she says. “Looking back, going into pharmacy was the best decision I ever made.”

A LOCAL HEALTH CARE ANCHOR: “To me, an effective community pharmacist is a local health care anchor,” Alissa says. “We are the people bridging the gap between local doctors and the patient’s home life.

“We are a familiar, steady face in the neighborhood that provides empathy and continuity of care that high-volume, rotating chain pharmacists simply cannot match. We are an accessible, first-line triage point for health questions.

“It’s pharmacists who know their patients by name, customize care to meet the specific needs of their town, and ensure that health care remains personal, not corporate.”

SHOWING UP EVERYWHERE: For Alissa, maintaining relationships with her community goes beyond the walls of her pharmacy. She is president of her local chamber of commerce and past president of the Rotary Club, serves on nonprofit boards, and is heavily involved in her church.

“Deep community involvement is a cornerstone of who I am,” she says. “Because of this, my goal is to always remain entirely accessible.”

Patients ask questions at meetings or while she is grocery shopping, and Alissa welcomes every interaction.

“Our community has supported our business for decades, and I am deeply committed to returning the favor,” she says.

EXPANDING CARE BEYOND THE COUNTER: Many of Quik Stop Pharmacy’s expanded services grew from community needs. “We aren’t just dispensing medication anymore; we are managing complete patient wellness,” Alissa says. “What started as a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic – like mobile vaccine clinics and home visits – has now beautifully evolved into our daily norm.”

Alissa says that over the last several years, the pharmacy has aggressively expanded its clinical footprint.

“I obtained our CLIA waiver to provide point-of-care testing, and we built on our years of experience providing compliance packaging for group homes and assisted living communities by officially establishing our long-term care pharmacy status two years ago,” she says. “Furthermore, our medication therapy management through Outcomes has grown significantly, and we’ve even obtained a license for Medicare insurance navigation.”

VALUE OF NCPA: For Alissa, NCPA’s value is rooted in advocacy, access, and the belief that independent community pharmacy must remain personal and patient centered.

“As an independent owner, you can often feel like you’re on an island, fighting massive corporate conglomerates all by yourself. NCPA completely shatters that isolation. Their advocacy has been a lifeline for us, especially with their relentless push for PBM reform,” she says.

“When I wanted to expand our clinical services, NCPA’s resources and frameworks, like their toolkits for CLIA-waived point-of-care testing and LTC at home models gave us the exact blueprint we needed to transition into an enhanced service pharmacy,” Alissa says. “They give us the strength of a national network while allowing us to stay fiercely independent in our own hometowns.”