A ribbon was cut on Sept. 7 for Atonement Lutheran Church’s new building, which has added more space for the church’s many ministries, including a food pantry that feeds up to 250 families each week.
The newly built structure in front of Atonement Lutheran Church may be somewhat nondescript, but the fact that it exists at all is something of a miracle, considering the church was once facing its last rites.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 7, to officially mark the opening of the church’s new Fellowship Hall.
At about 2,800 square feet, it is triple the size of the church’s former multi-purpose room, which only held about 70 people. The new room’s capacity is 200.
Pastor Scott Lindner says it’s an exciting sign of growth for the small church, which has been a part of the community for 30 years, but almost closed its doors for good in the early 2000s.
Lindner says instead of giving up, a former pastor sold five of the church’s original 13 acres to a developer to create the neighboring office park.
“When I got here in 2006, they had just burned the mortgage,” Lindner explains.
As Wesley Chapel has grown, the church has grown, too. Atonement Lutheran church regularly sees about 100 families in worship during the summer, and that number doubles in the winter when the “snowbirds” return to Florida.
The church also just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its food pantry program, which feeds up to 250 families each week with 15,000 pounds of food.
“Our ministries have grown so much in the past five years,” says Rebecca Parker, a church member who also is a volunteer and chair of its worship and music committee. “We needed more space, so this is very exciting for us.”
Pastor Lindner agrees: “We’ve known for years this time would come.”
The new building will be used for not only Atonement’s own full congregation, but also for some ministries and outside groups to use. In fact, the New River Branch Library plans to host some of its programs in the building when it closes for renovations this fall.
The Fellowship Hall also will be used for a weekly family service the congregants call “Child of God,” which is held every Sunday at 11 a.m.
The entire family hears a message geared toward children from the pastor. Then, the kids break off to do a craft or activity, while the pastor goes over what he calls a “home blueprint” relating to the message.
“It’s like children’s church, but also a parent support group,” explains Lindner. “There’s a story, questions, prayer guides and suggested activities, so you can make your house an extension of the church.”
Five years ago, Atonement Lutheran held a capital campaign that raised $300,000 to fund the building.
“It took us years to figure out what would work and what we could get permitted and what we could afford,” Lindner says. Over those years, prices increased, and the church will take a loan to cover the rest of the costs, which are expected to come in at about $125,000, once all of the final expenses are tallied, including permitting, landscaping and other expenses.
“We’ve been able to be generous to nonprofits by allowing them to use our building at no cost, and we will continue to do that,” says Lindner. “We believe this is a special place; that’s what keeps us going.”
The Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club also has announced that it will again feed hundreds of people in need at Atonement Lutheran for the club’s annual “Turkey Gobble” meal on Thanksgiving morning.
Atonement Lutheran Church is located at 29617 S.R. 54. To learn more about the church, visit DiscoverALC.com or call (813) 973-2211.
(left to right) Sam Guyer, Ryan Clarke, Cody Guyer and Shashank Mishra hope to open Wesley Chapel’s first craft brewery, Double Branch Artisanal Ales, in December.
Friends and Wesley Chapel residents Ryan Clarke and Shashank Mishra, M.D., had both dabbled in making their own home brews, so it was only natural that when the two would hang out, craft beer was often not only the drink of choice, but also the topic of conversation.
One night, the conversation turned to the obvious – why not start our own brewery?
“We talked about it several times,” said Clarke, “We had the same thoughts and philosophy. Eventually the talks began getting more progressive.”
Those talks progressed to the point where, on June 6, 2018, the two founded Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), and in December Clarke and Mishra’s first craft brewery is expected to open at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.
The craft brewery will be Wesley Chapel’s first, and will operate in the “main street” area of The Grove. The 8,400-sq-ft. space will boast a 2,100-sq.-ft. production brewery, a 1,900-sq-ft. tap room, a 550-sq.-ft. outdoor patio and 1,850 sq. ft. of private event space.
It will offer a full spectrum of beers, from lagers to stouts to sours, but it’s first flagship beer will be called Chappie’s Lager.
“This will not only be a craft brewery, but something that offers the local culture of Tampa without having to drive 30 minutes,” says Clarke. “We have a large amount of nationally-syndicated restaurant concepts out here in Wesley Chapel, but not too many locally owned places. Wesley Chapel needs these type of things.”
Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., the company behind Florida Avenue Brewing Co. and Brew Bus Brewing, purchased the old Sports + Field site on S.R. 56 in May, with plans to transform the former sports training facility into a brewery and restaurant before opening in 2020.
Clarke and Mishra also think they could be part of something big, as The Grove at Wesley Chapel — hardly a bustling hotspot in recent years with all the expansion on S.R. 56 — was sold for $62.7 million to developers that they expect will reinvigorate the area by building additional homes and retail/restaurant.
Clarke and Mishra, who met at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel where Clarke is a nurse practitioner and Mishra is a Doctor of Internal Medicine, already had launched their plans. They actually announced DBAA on the brewery’s Facebook page months ago, but had to quickly take it down because The Grove wasn’t ready for the announcement.
Clarke takes pride in DBAA being Wesley Chapel’s first locally owned and operated craft brewery. He looked into the idea back in 2008, but couldn’t find the right situation. After finding the right financial backing, location and availability, he and Mishra were ready.
Because Clarke wanted a place that would become part of the community’s fabric, he chose Double Branch because it “related to the heritage of the area.”
The Wesley Chapel area was often referred to as “Double Branch” for the twin creeks that flowed through the property owned by the Boyettes, one of the area’s founding families. The Double Branch Church (now the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel) was the center of the community.
The area also became an area known for its share of moonshine stills and homebrews in the 1920s, which Clarke says the Double Branch brewery pays homage to.
DBAA, which is still waiting on a permit or two but hopes to begin construction on Monday, could be a major player in the transformation of The Grove, which is rumored to be readying for a number of significant changes.
DBAA will offer beer and wine on tap, a food truck-style kitchen (6-8 items), games and potentially, an outdoor beer garden.
Clarke and Mishra have hired head brewer Cody Guyer and his wife Sam, who will be the tap room manager. The couple just moved here from Iowa last week, and both also will be part owners of the endeavor.
Cody Guyer started his brewing career with a home kit he received from his sister for his 26th birthday, and since has worked as an assistant brewer in Iowa for Millstream Brewing Co. (located in Amana) and Barn Town Brewing in West Des Moines.
Cody says while DBAA will offer a few flagship styles, he is the experimental type and plans of brewing an assortment of revolving “fun-type” beers. “Whatever I feel like brewing at the time,” he says.
Cody will also pursue collaborations with other breweries, where ideas are exchanged via emails and implemented in a team process. While in Iowa, he worked on “collabs” with Mikerphone Brewing in Chicago, Wren House Brewing in Phoenix, Watermark Brewing in Stevensville, MI, and Pulpit Rock Brewing in Decorah, IA.
“It’s a great way to learn what other breweries around the country are doing,” he says.
As for what DBAA will be doing, Cody says just wait.
“It’s going to exciting,” he says. “I can’t wait to get started.”
The friendly, professional staff at New Tampa Plastic Surgery’s new office on Cypress Ridge Blvd. is led by Dr. Peter Fakhre and nurse practitioner Christina Ahrens (in lab coat).
New Tampa Plastic Surgery, a premier cosmetic surgery “boutique,” has been helping New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents look and feel their best since 2011.
Specializing in the aesthetic plastic surgery of the face, breasts and body, Board-certified plastic surgeon Peter Fakhre, M.D., rejuvenates and enhances the natural beauty of his patients with the latest cutting-edge surgical and non-surgical procedures.
Dr. Fakhre also has been named one of the top doctors in the country by Vitals.com (a medical review forum for consumers). According to the website, Dr. Fakhre was named a “Vitals Top 10 Doctor.” Of more than 870,000 doctors nationwide, Dr. Fakhre has been recognized as being in the top one percent, of all physicians, as determined by patient ratings.
With a brand new office located on Cypress Ridge Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, behind (just north of) Synovus Bank and the Mercedes Benz dealership, New Tampa Plastic Surgery sees patients from all across Pasco and Hillsborough counties.
Dr. Fakhre and his staff help everyone who walks through their doors feel welcome; he says their primary goal is to make the patient feel comfortable while exploring his or her best options for plastic or reconstructive surgery (as well as non-surgical alternatives, in some cases) in a professional and confidential environment.
You can see the results of Dr. Fakhre’s work when you visit NewTampaPlasticSurgery.com. Although his work definitely speaks for itself, he also is highly recommended by his patients.
In a physician review on Vitals.com, Dr. Fakhre’s patient Jane Gibbons said, “Plastic surgery? More accurately — Surgical Artistry! Dr. Fakhre is a master of his craft. He not only is an accomplished surgeon, (he also) is a man of integrity who listens, counsels and guides his patients toward the goals they are seeking. (He) then satisfies those goals with skill and precision!”
She continues, “Dr. Fakhre works with his patients to determine the best surgical and non-surgical options that will achieve the desired outcome. As a bonus, his office staff is compassionate, efficient and shares his philosophy that everyone deserves to look their best. Unquestionably, Dr. Fakhre is the best that Tampa Bay has to offer!”
Outstanding Credentials
Dr. Fakhre, who is one of only a few plastic surgeons in the Tampa Bay area to be double-Board-certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and by the American Board of Surgery, explains, “There are many things that are important in achieving successful outcomes in plastic surgery: an understanding of the patient’s desires, their physical examination, realistic goals, sound surgical technique, attention to detail and outstanding postoperative care, all of which contribute to success in cosmetic plastic surgery.”
He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from the University of South Florida in Tampa, graduating summa cum laude. He then elected to attend the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. It was while he was at U-F that Dr. Fakhre’s surgical talent, aesthetic eye and love for plastic surgery were realized.
The new office of New Tampa Plastic Surgery is state-of-the-art and even includes an on-site surgery facility. Call the number at the end of this story to schedule a free consultation and tour of the facility.
Dr. Fakhre then completed a general surgery residency at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, where he scored in the 98th percentile in the American Board of Surgery in Training Exam, the highest among all of the residents in his program.
He was involved with numerous publications and research projects, which have been presented at a number of scientific meetings, including the distinguished American Society of Plastic Surgeons. During his surgical training, Dr. Fakhre was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Mayo Clinic Medical School and served as Chief Resident in Surgery in his final year of surgical training.
Dr. Fakhre was then privileged to match at his first choice of Plastic Surgery fellowship programs at the prestigious Methodist hospital, where he again excelled, scoring the highest in-service exam score among all plastic surgery residents in his program and serving as Chief Resident during his final year of plastic surgery training.
“I had the wonderful opportunity to train with members of the original group of plastic surgeons that invented the breast implant, as well as facial and body plastic surgeons whose surgeries have been featured on The Discovery Channel,” Dr. Fakhre says. “Working in such an environment provided great exposure to a large volume of both primary and revision cosmetic surgery cases. This experience was priceless and I’m happy to bring this type of training to the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area.”
This training and his own expertise helped Dr. Fakhre earn the highest score possible, in the 99th percentile among Plastic Surgeons in plastic surgery of the breast, on the American Board of Plastic Surgery written examination.
In addition to refining his surgical skill and technique during his plastic surgery training, Dr. Fakhre also volunteered his time with Operation San José and traveled to Guatemala on a cleft lip and palate surgical mission. There, he helped deliver surgical care to many cleft lip and palate patients who otherwise may never have received the treatment they needed.
Dr. Fakhre says that he was happy to return to the Tampa Bay area after his training and currently lives in Seven Oaks with his wife of 16 years and three sons, who keep them busy and entertained.
So Many Surgical Options
Many of us have things we would like to change about our bodies. Time, age and weight changes all take a toll on your body and these factors can affect your appearance and self-image. Dr. Fakhre says that cosmetic plastic surgery is a way to help you look and feel better.
“When we are happy with our appearance, we feel more confident,” he says.
New Tampa Plastic Surgery offers a plethora of cosmetic surgery procedures for women and men, including breast enhancement (augmentations, lifts and reductions), tummy tucks, face and neck lifts, eyelid surgery, liposuction and more. Known for his technical skill, eye for beauty and superior aesthetic practice, Dr. Fakhre will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan to achieve your desired outcome and to make the “new you” a reality.
“Cosmetic plastic surgery allows the surgeon to combine artistry with sound surgical techniques to produce superior results,” says Dr. Fakhre.
Breasts, for instance, are often at the core of a woman’s femininity and self-confidence. Dr. Fakhre explains that breast augmentation surgery is one of the most personal decisions a woman can make.
“Breast augmentation surgery can increase your self-confidence and satisfaction with your body,” says Dr. Fakhre. “By increasing or restoring breast volume, we can help our patients achieve a better-proportioned body.”
Dr. Fakhre’s breast augmentation patients are first educated about implant size and types, so they can make informed decisions about which would best satisfy their personal goals. He says that the two main implant types available are still silicone and saline and that the implant selected depends upon a variety of factors.
Currently, the most common implants that Dr. Fakhre uses are silicone implants, which he says look and feel more natural than their saline counterparts.
Breast lift surgery removes excess tissue and repositions the breast and/or nipple to a more youthful position. This procedure is often chosen by women desiring to restore form to their breasts or reclaim their “before-baby” appearance. And, although breasts are intertwined with the feminine profile, women are not the only ones who have breast surgery. In fact, Dr. Fakhre says that he has helped many men feel better about their appearance with reduction surgery for men with female-looking breasts (also known as gynecomastia).
Liposuction, ‘Mommy
Makeovers’ & More
Another popular cosmetic surgical procedure at New Tampa Plastic Surgery is liposuction, which can improve the body’s contour by removing fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise. Liposuction restores proportionality and minimizes problem areas. Dr. Fakhre says that if you find yourself shopping for clothes to hold your tummy in or help slim your thighs, liposuction may be your answer. He adds that liposuction offers significant results with minimal downtime.
“In fact, many (liposuction) patients recover over a weekend and return to work on Monday,” he says.
A full “Mommy Makeover” also is a popular procedure sought by women who want to get back to the body they had before they had children. Dr. Fakhre says that the most common “Mommy Makeover” combines a breast lift (with or without breast augmentation for reshaping), a tummy tuck to tighten the midsection that was stretched during pregnancy and liposuction to remove unwanted fat deposits.
Dr. Fakhre, who also has surgical privileges at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Tampa, says that he performs surgeries both in the surgery facility in his office as well as at the Tampa Bay Surgery Center, located at the corner of N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and Fletcher Ave. Wherever he performs his artistry, however, Dr. Fahkre’s satisfied patients are a testament to his experience and training.
“From the moment I walked through the door in his office I was always greeted on a first-name basis, which made me feel like I wasn’t just another patient to get in and out,” Christina Vargas wrote in her patient testimonial about her experience with New Tampa Plastic Surgery. “The whole process — from scheduling my appointments to the day of the procedure, even my recovery — went so smoothly. I highly recommend Dr. Fakhre. I give him 10 stars!”
Non-Surgical Options, Too
New Tampa Plastic Surgery also is a true cosmetic boutique, offering skin care and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures, in addition to plastic surgery. Many of these non-surgical procedures — such as Botox and dermal fillers, Latisse eyelash lengthening and thickening and chemical peels that rejuvenate and energize the skin to beautify your natural state and more — often provide the results a patient is looking for, and are less “invasive” than surgical options.
Board-certified nurse practitioner Christina Ahrens (in photo on previous page, in lab coat, next to Dr. Fakhre) has more than 13 years of experience in dermatology and plastic surgery and performs all of the non-surgical procedures at New Tampa Plastic Surgery. “We are fortunate to have Christina as part of our team,” says Dr. Fakhre. “She does an outstanding job in the treatment of our patients.”
For your free cosmetic plastic surgery consultation with Dr. Peter Fakhre, call New Tampa Plastic Surgery at (813) PLASTIC (752-7842). The office is located at 2525 Cypress Ridge Blvd. For a full menu of services, visit NewTampaPlasticSurgery.com. And, be sure to ‘Like’ New Tampa Plastic Surgery’s Facebook.com page so that you can be notified of the office’s monthly promotions on various services.
Andy Dunning is holding Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring, which he says is the hottest product in flooring, due to its durability and quality. (Photo: Andy Warrener)
American Wood Flooring has been operating as a family business for more than 25 years. It began as a small storefront in New Port Richey, selling wood flooring exclusively. The showroom in the Super Target-anchored Northwood Plaza in Wesley Chapel opened 12 years ago.
CEO Andy Dunning has always kept on top of the latest trends and products in the flooring business. While American Wood Flooring has stayed true to its roots, still offering traditional carpet, wood, tile and laminate options, Dunning says the product dominating the floor covering market these days is Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring.
“In July, we did 33 installs just out of our New Tampa store, and 25 of them were LVP,” Dunning says. “Vinyl plank could make laminate products obsolete.”
Dunning says that LVP flooring has only been available for about a year-and-a-half, but the product is dominating the market, and for good reason.
Why LVP?
Dunning says the number one reason is durability, which breaks down into three aspects: LVP is waterproof, dent-proof and scratch-resistant.
And, LVP floors are 100-percent waterproof. This is huge for Floridians, who often have swimming pools or pets and endure sometimes torrential rainfall in the late summer and fall months. LVP’s high-density material is nearly impossible to dent and its uniform consistency makes it extremely scratch-resistant.
“LVP is different than most flooring in that there are no wood particles, and no glue,” Dunning says. “It’s a lock-and-fold system. There is some subfloor prep but it’s minimal.”
Even big old Bentley — one of Andy and Sara Dunning’s two Great Danes — can’t damage the LVP floor in the Dunnings’ home.
A high-quality and waterproof floor covering? What’s not to like? LVP floors are waterproof for a couple of reasons.
One, they are not made from wood. LVP floor panels are made from a PVC-type material. There’s never any swelling or cracking.
Second, even if moisture somehow gets past the tight lock-and-fold system, the attached padding is made from an anti-microbial melamine material. The melamine material comes attached to the LVP panels and leaves no air pocket between the panels and the sub floor, as laminate flooring does.
Waterproofing aside, LVP floors are some of the most durable on the market. There are currently only three mills in the world that have patent rights to produce LVP’s Rigid Core material.
“The material in the Rigid Core is much more dense than the material used in the cores five to 10 years ago,” Dunning says. “I have two great Danes and I can tell you that my LVP floor is close to being indestructible.”
Animals large and small will find it nearly impossible to scratch the LVP floor. “We have two pugs that go up and down the stairs a lot and we have not seen any marks anywhere,” American Wood Flooring customer and Land O’ Lakes resident Kurt Kraemer says.
Competitive Pricing
Thanks in large part to the ease of installation, LVP floors can be installed at very competitive prices, when compared with other flooring.
And, through the months of August and September, American Wood Flooring is offering complete installation of LVP flooring for as little as $4.99 per square foot. Hardwood floors can cost as much as $17-$18 per square foot and don’t offer anywhere near the durability that LVP does.
Dunning currently has four different styles/colors to choose from: Windsor, Blarney, Conway and Edinburgh. Samples can be viewed either in Dunning’s showroom or on the web at FlooringForFlorida.com.
LVP is popular and trendy, but American Wood Flooring carries many different types of flooring to fit every need and desire.
Top-To-Bottom Service
American Wood Flooring doesn’t just throw the floor down and leave. The company is there for every step of the process. Dunning offers a free in-home consultation where he brings samples to your home, takes measurements and is able to give a very accurate quote.
“I had my whole house done — bedrooms, bathrooms, closets — and it all looks really nice and the whole process was really smooth,” Kraemer says. “We even had the stairs done and it finishes off the place very nicely. We were very happy with the work; they even put all the furniture back in place where it was.”
Kraemer also was pleased with how the work design allowed him to still utilize his home during a complete floor replacement.
“They did the important areas first,” Kraemer said. “They did the bedrooms first, so I wasn’t inconvenienced much. I was so grateful for this, coming home from work and being able to use my house.”
Even if you’re just trying to sell your home, a new LVP floor might be the clincher in helping make that sale.
“We had the LVP product installed in a home we were revamping to sell,” local Realtor Cherry Norris says. “Andy came over and was very professional. We checked other pricing and his quote was better for LVP flooring, plus some carpet. We were all happy with the price and the quality of material. It totally changed the look of the house and the house sold to the first buyer that saw it. The buyers really liked the way it looked and felt. It’s a tight installation with no gaps. The clients loved the color and said it looked like real wood planks.”
American Wood Flooring stays on top of the emerging technologies in the industry and offers first-rate service at premium pricing, while still offering a list of traditional flooring options. The company even offers Bloomin’ Brands gift cards (good at Outback, Bonefish and Carrabas) to clients who refer friends and family.
American Wood Flooring’s Wesley Chapel showroom is located at 1285 BBD Blvd. and is open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sun. For more info, visit FlooringforFlorida.com, call (813) 991-7999 or see the ad on page 42.
Vikas Ghiya and his wife, Harsha, are long-time New Tampa residents who recently moved Prime Rx Pharmacy from Seminole in Pinellas County closer to home on Cross Creek Blvd.
Prime Rx Pharmacy in the Cross Creek Center plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa has only been open for three months, but owner Vikas Ghiya, R.Ph. (Registered Pharmacist) is a long-time New Tampa resident who was happy to bring his business home to his neighborhood.
Ghiya has worked as a pharmacist since 1992, first for Eckerd, then Publix. In 2009, he established Prime Rx Pharmacy in Seminole, in Pinellas County, in partnership with others who opened other Prime Rx pharmacies in St. Petersburg and Riverview.
When the partnership dissolved in 2012, Ghiya kept his Seminole location open while he commuted from New Tampa. Recently, his landlord notified him that he needed to move the pharmacy, so he decided to relocate all the way to New Tampa, cutting 3 hours a day out of his commute. He says he now travels less than three miles each way to work.
Vikas has been married to his wife, Harsha, for 32 years. Harsha manages the office and billing for the pharmacy, and also has a license as a pharmacy technician, so she can help her husband with that part of the business when needed.
Currently the staff also includes Joseph Ortiz, who is Prime Rx’s primary pharmacy tech, and Ghiya says the staff prides itself on being both fast and accurate, plus going above and beyond what is typical at a corporate pharmacy/chain drug store.
“Here, customer service is a priority,” explains Ghiya. “We often recognize our customers and welcome them by name.”
While Ghiya is quick to say he would never criticize a fellow pharmacist, he says in a corporate environment, pharmacists generally are simply too busy to offer such personalized service.
Not so at Prime Rx Pharmacy.
In India, Ghiya says he was educated in Ayurvedic medicine, which is a holistic healing system developed more than 3,000 years ago. Ghiya earned a doctorate degree and practiced Ayurveda in India until 1988, when he moved to the United States. He explains that in the U.S., his doctorate in Ayurveda is not recognized.
So, Ghiya enrolled at St. John’s University in Queens, NY, and received his B.S. degree in Pharmacy in 1992. Then, he moved to Florida.
“Even back then, corporate pharmacy was looking at quantity, not quality,” he says. Instead, he chose to be an independent pharmacist.
“This way, I get to spend more time with each patient,” he says, using both his pharmacological training and physiological training from India.
The Prime Rx Difference
Whether medicine is needed in a hurry or it’s just your regular prescription, Prime Rx Pharmacy will deliver it to your home (provided it is within a certain distance from the pharmacy) at no charge.
“We offer free delivery,” says Ghiya. “If the kids are sick and Mom can’t leave the house, we deliver.”
In fact, Ghiya says closing his pharmacy in Seminole hasn’t meant losing all of those patients as customers. He says that Prime Rx Pharmacy still delivers medications to Seminole twice a week.
“However, some come to this pharmacy,” says Harsha. “They say, ‘you drove to us for 10 years, now we can drive to you once a month.’”
The pharmacy also offers compounding, such as mixing creams for male and female hormones. Each patient requires a completely custom tailoring of estrogen, progesterone and/or testosterone, which must be done in a compounding pharmacy such as Prime Rx.
Prime Rx Pharmacy also provides compounding for veterinary medicines when needed for your dog or cat.
And, it offers free flavorings in certain medications, which is especially popular in some antibiotics for kids.
In addition to prescriptions, the pharmacy also carries durable medical equipment (DME) for sale, and some items are also available for rent, such as wheelchairs, canes and more.
Prime Rx also sells oil diffusers and essential oils, such as lavender and jasmine, to help people with sleep issues or anxiety, as well as CBD oil.
“We carry a broad spectrum of over-the-counter medicines and specialty vitamins, too,” says Ghiya, including the brands Pure and Ortho, which he says are high-quality vitamins.
“They work better and are absorbed better,” he explains. “You cannot find this stuff in Walmart, CVS or Walgreens.”
He says he and his staff also are happy to counsel patients on the best vitamins, especially when they are taking prescription medications.
Custom Pill Packaging
Prime Rx Pharmacy also offers customized pill packaging, with medications sorted by the day and time a patient should take it. This is especially helpful for people who are chronically ill and take several medications at different times throughout the day.
“Instead of opening three or four different bottles, patients just open one blister pack,” Ghiya explains. “It helps the patient not to miss any pills. We count and make sure they get the exact dosage they need.”
At Prime Rx Pharmacy on Cross Creek Blvd., owner/pharmacist Vikas Ghiya is happy to help patients who have to take multiple medications every day. These blister packs divide your meds by when they need to be taken, marked with the day and time, to reduce the instances of patients forgetting to take their medication or accidentally taking more medication than they need.
He tells the story of one patient he recently helped with this type of packaging. “She took 18 medications, some once a day, some four times a day,” he explains. “That means she’s opening bottles 20-30 times a day. Instead, we give her a blister pack, and each one says which date and time to take it, so she knows if she missed a dose.”
Nine months later, he says that the patient’s health has improved.
“Her doctor asked her what she was doing to improve her health, and she said, ‘My pharmacist helped me,’” Ghiya says. “It’s because she’s not missing doses or taking extra doses.”
Now, he adds, she’s only on 12 meds and some of those are at reduced dosages.
Taking Time With Patients
“We like to make it fun and make people laugh when they come here,” Ghiya says. “People come in from the doctor and they’ve already waited and waited.”
Often, they’re stressed because they’ve received a bad diagnosis, so Ghiya and his staff always offer a listening ear, comfort and moral support.
“One patient moved here from New York and her daughter is diabetic and needs a particular insulin,” explains Ghiya. “She doesn’t have a car and was able to walk in to our pharmacy. Within two days, we took care of everything and delivered her special order to her. She said it was a totally different experience than at other pharmacies.”
He says the mom was nervous about using a syringe to give her daughter insulin, so he taught her how to use an insulin pen instead of a syringe.
“It’s easier to use and more accurate,” Ghiya explains. “We sat with her for 45 minutes to help her. We’re happy to do that.”
Prime Rx Pharmacy is located at 10010 Cross Creek Blvd. at Kinnan St. It is open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, visit PrimeRxPharmacy.com or call (813) 955-7777.
