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Business & Tech

New Pharmacy Opens In Dormont

New Pharmacy Opens In Dormont

It’s the people who have brought him back

For the Dormont community, Mike Hrip, 45, has been more than willing to go that extra mile for his patients over the years.

As a pharmacist at CVS since September of 1989, Hrip has gotten to know many people Dormont and form a good rapport with them.

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“I know everyone from Mayor Tom down to Betty the meter maid and everyone in between,” said Hrip.

It wasn’t until August of last year that Hrip parted with CVS. He recently opened Your Hometown Pharmacy, partnering with Byron Moon and Mike Lee, at 2897 West Liberty Ave.

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“Since I was an intern at The Medicine Shoppe in 1984, this is what I always wanted to do,” said Hrip.

When Moon, the owner of the original Your Hometown Pharmacy in Erie, came to Hrip with the idea of opening a second shop in Dormont, Hrip jumped at the opportunity.

In a market where independent pharmacies stand much competition to large chains like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Giant Eagle, Hrip feels confident that he will succeed.

With competitive pricing and Monday through Friday delivery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a technician will be able deliver prescriptions to patients at their homes.

“We’ll even go so far as to when the patients are in the doctor’s office, if they can get the script over to me while the patient is in with the physician, we’ll bring them right to the doctors office for them so they won’t even have to leave the doctor’s office to get their prescriptions,” said Hrip.

But there is a more important aspect that Hrip will have at his pharmacy, a personal relationship with, and knowledge of, each of his patients.

“I know everyone in this town and the medications they take and I have watched their kids grow up so I know what their kids took when they were babies. So to me, that’s already a big advantage I have,” said Hrip. “They don’t know these people ... It also cuts down on medication errors, I think. You already know these people and are already aware of what they take.”

It’s his 21 years of knowing the citizens of Dormont that has made Hrip want to open the pharmacy in its current location.

“I knew these people for so many years and they have always treated me like family,” Hrip said. “We had patients that would come in and bring me gifts at Christmastime, presents when my kids were born. I had one gentleman that would stop, I would say for about 15 years he did this, up at Potomac Bakery and get day-old goods and bring them into us every morning. That was the kind of bond that we built.”

This relationship with the community has given him the passion and pride for what he does and with his new pharmacy and will promote a stronger base for those relationships to grow upon, he said.

 “It does your heart good to know that people appreciated what you did for them the last 20 years,” Hrip said.

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