ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 23, 2022) – The National Community Pharmacists Association is pleased to announce that Phipps Pharmacy in Tennessee has earned the 2022 NCPA Innovation Center Excellence Award for Best Community Engagement. This is the fifth 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 RedSail Technologies, LLC.
On Aug. 21, 2021, a flash flood struck in Humphreys County, Tenn., taking the lives of 20 residents and displacing more than 500 families. Phipps Pharmacy had recently purchased a pharmacy in the town of Waverly, which has a population of about 4,000. In the weeks that followed, pharmacy staff provided more than medicine. The day after the flood, Phipps Pharmacy president and CEO Jay Phipps and his family purchased two pallets of drinking water and toiletries from a local retailer and headed to the pharmacy to assess need. As patients came, staff gave whatever supplies the families needed or served as a resource to help find aid. They spent hours on the phone with insurance companies for emergency overrides, listening to stories, and providing hugs. They coordinated 17 donation drop-off locations across middle and west Tennessee, including the other three Phipps Pharmacy locations. They also worked with local vendors to make and sell “Humphreys County Strong” merchandise, with the proceeds donated to flood victims.
Jay Phipps reached out to numerous colleagues and suppliers and received support from the pharmacy community across the state and nation. Reflecting on everything that has happened since August, he says, “The most impressive thing is the overwhelming unity after the flood. It gave us some hope and we saw some real humanity. People stepped up. I’m proud of our staff and the pharmacy profession. Giving of yourself to help others and give them hope. That’s what it’s all about.”
“For the last five years the NICE Awards have showcased the best in independent pharmacy’s efforts to make patient experiences better and more rewarding,” says NCPA Innovation Center President Kurt Proctor. “The Phipps Pharmacy team was creative, fast-moving, and followed their hearts in helping their community respond to and carry on after extreme flooding. For these efforts, they’re very deserving of our special Best Community Engagement NICE Award. We are glad to recognize Jay Phipps and his colleagues and applaud them for their generosity and hard work.”
Phipps Pharmacy was established in 2000 and has locations in Huntingdon, Jackson, McKenzie, and Waverly. Its products and services include standard retail; medication therapy management; COVID-19 antibody testing, immunizations and vitamin B-12 injections; compounding services including compounded bioidentical hormone therapy, veterinary, dermatology, and low-dose naltrexone; and medication adherence services through its Phipps Pack compliance packaging.
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Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing nearly 19,400 pharmacies that employ approximately 215,000 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.
