‘For the betterment of the community’

Established 12 years ago, Brabu Pharmacy not only provides cost-effective medicines and personal care products but they also do it a manner that is customer-focused and, in many cases, they actually cultivate personal relationships with their customers.

This is one aspect of Brabu Pharmacy service that one of their customers, Jay, appreciates. Some of the pharmacy’s technicians already know him by name and his birthday, so getting his prescriptions refilled is always a breeze. That personal touch and the feeling that Brabu Pharmacy is on your side when it comes to your health and wellness forms a large part of the pharmacy’s image.

And that extends not just to each and every customer but to the CNMI community at large. Brabu Pharmacy doesn’t confine itself behind glass counters but also does what it can to make for a better and healthier CNMI. Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Ted Parker himself says that operating with the mantra “for the betterment of the community” is essential to their identity.

“Reaching out with various projects that help the community is not just a key important component of Brabu’s business model, but essential to our identity. …We do not call our social responsibility as programs as we are more relaxed than that. …Our corporate motto is ‘providing medicine and life-enhancing services for our island’s total wellbeing,’” he said.

“In a sense our whole staff is our Corporate Social Responsibility team. We ask everyone to contribute ideas on how we may better serve our patients and their specific needs. …And our social responsibilities are not limited in time frame. We are here to serve our community in any way we can as long as that care is needed, be it after a typhoon or during a pandemic,” he added.

With lessons learned after Typhoon Soudelor hit in 2015, Brabu Pharmacy had all kinds of backups in place and stepped up to the plate to provide continuous service to the community after Super Typhoon Yutu hit the CNMI in 2018. On the second day after the typhoon, Brabu already opened its doors, although on limited hours, and utilized staff who live in different locations to deliver medicines to patients.

When the pandemic struck, Brabu remained true to its commitment to have the medicine the community needs, while staying vigilant about safety and health protocols. “As soon as COVID19 lockdown was announced, our staff set protocols to address patient interaction in the safest manner possible. We continue to evolve as the virus evolves and treatments become available. However, Brabu is not just reactionary as we proactively seek to find better means to provide for our community, no matter the trials and tribulations of the day,” Parker said.

“We were one of the first organizations on island that required hand sanitation, temperature checks, and social distancing. As we learned more about the pandemic, we set up tents and a workstation outside to ensure social distancing and maintain the safety of our patients. Eventually, we were delivering directly to patients’ houses, especially those that were at high risk and this continues until today,” he added.

Last month, Brabu expanded its services and is now offering various immunizations, vaccine shots, and a drive-thru COVID-19 testing. They started administering vaccinations in April when Brabu Pharmacy’s pharmacy technicians were given authorization to give vaccines under the Health and Safety Prevention program. The vaccines available are Shingrix, varicella (chickenpox), tetanus, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps and rubella, pneumonia, influenza and HPV. Their protocol for all vaccines is for ages 13 and up. The COVID-19 vaccine is not included as this is only available at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.

Recently, Brabu welcomed back its two former workers—Patsylynn Cepeda and Alina Ishikawa—who are now both Pharmacy Doctors. Cepeda graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Hawaii in Hilo while Ishikawa graduated under the pharmacy program of the Northeastern University in Boston. Both pursued Pharmacy medicine with the encouragement and support of Parker and his wife, Kathy.

In an earlier interview, Parker said that mentoring young people and seeing them succeed is part of Brabu’s mission. “The amount of work that you put into mentoring people, getting them to do things and when it comes to fruition, when you see that they have actually succeeded and they have actually started believing in themselves that they can actually succeed, is the most gratifying thing in the world,” he said.

“…This is what the islands need. You have to build a local workforce. …We have to have a local workforce that’s born, devoted, and will stay here,” he added.

When asked how Brabu measures its impact on the community, Parker said that feedback from the community is often very individualistic and subtle. “Sometimes the response is merely a grin or nod of the head. Sometimes it’s someone returning and indicating that they are better or their loved one is better,” Parker said “Oftentimes it’s just a heartfelt ‘thank you.’ …They do let us know in person, emails, and on social media. …How do we use these responses? By keeping inspired and doing the things that help our community.”