ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 17, 2021) — The National Community Pharmacists Association is pleased to announce that Medi-Wise Pharmacy in Newcomerstown, Ohio, has earned the 2021 NCPA Innovation Center Excellence Award for Best COVID-19 Internal Remodel. This is the fourth year of the NICE Awards competition, which was created to recognize pharmacies for their efforts to enhance their value, promote their services, and better serve their communities. The NICE Awards are sponsored by QS/1.
“Congratulations to Medi-Wise Pharmacy for earning the NICE Award for Best COVID-19 Internal Remodel,” said Kurt Proctor, PhD, RPh, president of the NCPA Innovation Center. “The NICE Awards spotlight the best of community pharmacy branding and marketing – the innovations and redesigns that have made promotions more effective and patients’ experiences more rewarding. Medi-Wise made the best of a difficult time, revamping the pharmacy’s interior and making strategic adjustments to efficiently serve patients through the rest of the pandemic and as the pharmacy continues expanding services into the future. We’re glad to recognize Medi-Wise Pharmacy for these forward-looking efforts.”
When his retail store’s front end was closed for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Medi-Wise Pharmacy’s owner Jeff Neidig decided to take advantage of the opportunity, relocating and resizing the different sections within to make way for a dedicated space that will serve as their pharmacy clinic. Neidig, a CPESN Ohio luminary, says his vision is to give the pharmacy more of a clinical orientation, incorporating the CPESN® USA model toward patient care.
Neidig is excited about the in-store patient facility, called the Clinic at Medi-Wise Pharmacy. “When people come in for vaccines, they go into the seating area and then proceed into the treatment rooms where we give the injections,” he says. “When we do COVID-19 vaccines we will have a large area for people to sit and be monitored before and after getting their vaccine.”
He says, “I wanted to have a fresh look, and that fresh look meant a smaller footprint (with fewer departments). We’re going to continue to focus on clinical services, and expand our offerings in that area.”
The store has received rave reviews since it reopened Oct. 1. “A lot of people say it looks like a brand-new store,” Neidig says. “We can’t wait until more customers feel comfortable to shop inside so they can see our improvements.”
Medi-Wise Pharmacy was established in 1993, and Neidig has been pharmacist and owner since 2002. Its products and services include clinical consultations and services, medication adherence/synchronization, durable medication equipment, medication therapy management, immunizations, multi-dose pill packaging, and transitions in care services.
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Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing more than 21,000 pharmacies that employ 250,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among America's most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit www.ncpa.org.
