By George Berkheimer for The Bedford Gazette
Fisher’s Pharmacy is one of Bedford’s keystone businesses, serving the community since 1894. Founded by Frank Jordan as Jordan’s Pharmacy, the name changed to Fishers when James Fisher acquired the business in the 1920s and has continued through a series of owners to the present day. Misty Nicodemus and Jennifer Leibfried now operate the pharmacy and purchased it in 2017.
It’s one of the few independent pharmacies still operating in Pennsylvania’s rural settings.
“Fisher’s has had a long period of stability here, operated by local people who knew the people they served, and that’s something we’re very proud to continue,” said Leibfried.
With a staff of eight employees, Fisher’s Pharmacy is still committed to providing a level of customer service that’s rarely found at bigger retail pharmacy chains.
“We offer 24-hour on-call service, free delivery, and we also do packaging service,” Leibfried said. “Even in this day and age, we still make house calls.”
Unique Services
While other independent pharmacies were feeling the pinch from larger national competitors, Fisher’s last owner, David Whysong, made a shrewd decision to relocate from the pharmacy’s historic downtown Pitt Street location to a larger stand-alone building that he constructed on the eastern edge of town.
“There was no handicapped accessibility and no parking at the old location,” Leibfried said. “There was also no room for a laboratory, so Dave built a modern lab in the new building and we have since remodeled it. We now have a negative pressure room and ventilation which allows us to meet federal standards. We have a pretty high tech facility here.”
That decision resulted in the ability for Fisher’s to do compounding, which can create custom medications with tailored dosing for patients’ medical conditions, decreasing the occurrence of side effects and increasing the medication’s efficacy.
“We do a lot of compounding, and we’re able to compound things for our customers who have been discharged from the UPMC Children’s Hospital and need medications that aren’t commercially available,” Leibfried said. “We also compound for veterinarians and for hormone treatments. That’s something very unique for this area, the closest compounders are located in Tyrone and Chambersburg.”
Staying Independent
As more small Pennsylvania towns continue to lose independent pharmacies, their future isn’t exactly guaranteed.
“It’s difficult because reimbursements are below what small pharmacies are able to pay for medications,” Leibfried said, something that chain pharmacies have more easily been able to counteract with front end sales of other products. “We’re hoping for some change from government regulations and policies, but that hasn’t happened yet. Everett lost all of its pharmacies, so we are picking up some of that business, but it’s a juggling act. More business doesn’t necessarily mean more revenue.”
So far, Fisher’s has been able to price check and negotiate beneficial prices from wholesalers to continue serving Bedford County.
“Our wholesaler is in Altoona and is a co-operative of independent pharmacies and they advocate very hard for us,” Leibfried said. “If we want to remain independent and strong, we need to support each other.”
Fisher’s Pharmacy also provides a lot of vaccinations, which helps to bring in revenue.
“We get to see and meet new people that way, and we go out into the community to the homebound and provide vaccinations at assisted living facilities,” she said.
Medication-Assisted Treatment therapy to treat opioid abuse disorder is another area that Fisher’s Pharmacy assists with, partnering with local physicians to provide help for those caught up in the opioid crisis.
“We pride ourselves on being respectful and caring for our entire population, not picking and choosing who we help,” Leibfried said. “It’s a multi-faceted problem that requires management, and we’re happy to be able to help and see some of the success stories.”
Running a pharmacy doesn’t leave a lot of time for involvement after work, but Leibfried and Nicodemus engage in fundraising for Abby’s Angels Animal Haven.
“We support local sports teams at the schools, too,” Leibfried said.
Bedford has always been a good location for the pharmacy, she said, and the influx of new shops and restaurants continues to bring new people and potential customers to the area.
“The continued development of trail systems and outdoor facilities in the area is fabulous and something you don’t see in a lot of other places we visit,” Leibfried said. “I was born and raised here, but I also think that people who move here also appreciate the unique small town vibe, and how clean and pretty the town looks. There’s a strong sense of wanting to maintain that.”