For many years, families living in the Russell and Portland area have had to travel long distances to get basic medications. Now, that’s going to end as childhood friends Deshawn King and Isaiah Jones have opened Good Brothers Pharmacy in Louisville’s west end.
Just blocks from Norton West Louisville Hospital, Good Brothers officially opened on August 27 on West Main Street in the Russell neighborhood, and, according to its founders, it is Louisville’s first Black-owned pharmacy.
“Today, we open our doors not just as a pharmacy but as a family,” King, co-founder of Good Brothers Pharmacy, said, as reported by WAVE. “Today we follow the footsteps of Dr. Zhil Palmer, who opened the first black owned pharmacy in Lexington, KY.”
The founders have been working on opening the pharmacy for more than five years.
“Good Brothers Pharmacy is more than a business, it’s a promise. It’s a promise that we are going to stay here forever and we’re going to make an impact on the west Louisville community,” King said, according to WLKY.com.
Indeed, Good Brothers Pharmacy is about providing convenience for people who have gone years without a pharmacy nearby. Following the closure of the CVS in Portland last year, the closest pharmacy has been downtown, nearly two miles away, WLKY said.
“With us focusing strictly on the medication and no convenience stores, we’ll be able to get prescriptions out as soon as possible. We’ll be able to deliver the next day. Our 30, 90, and 60-day customers will be able to get them there throughout the week, throughout the month. So our plan is a lot different than your big box pharmacies,” said Jones, co-founder of Good Brothers Pharmacy.
Good Brothers Pharmacy will offer over-the-counter medications, health screenings, immunisations, and free delivery, according to its website.
The pharmacy got support from the METCO (Metropolitan Business Development Corporation) program and the West End Opportunity Partnership, which are helping to cater to the pharmacy’s operating costs to enable it to operate year-round.
Pharmacists are the first point of contact for common clinical conditions, said Dr. Michela Brooks, the pharmacist in charge.
“A lot of patients don’t know that. As a pharmacist, you are the first contact that a patient has for medical reasons… Some people aren’t comfortable going to hospitals or making appointments. They come here in their most vulnerable states looking for medical advice,” Brooks explained.
