A visit to valued supporter Molokaʻi Drugs

For pharmacy students interested in pursuing a career in rural and community healthcare, the owners and staff of Molokaʻi Drugs provide an ideal learning environment. “The pharmacy is really focused on improving the health of the island community they serve,” says Jarred Prudencio, DKICP associate professor and director of experiential education.

“You definitely get that feeling when you visit the pharmacy in Kaunakakai, which Dean Matsumoto and I did recently. The staff knows everyone and greets them by name,” he says.

Molokaʻi Drugs is a third-generation, family-run business now being operated by sisters Dr. Kelly Go, who is the pharmacy manager, and Kimberly Svetin, who is president, with a staff of 25 employees.

“The clinical services they’ve added in recent years really illustrate their personal connections to customers,” notes Prudencio.

For instance, when a prescription for an antibiotic or a new medication has been picked up, the pharmacy staff makes a follow-up call after a few days to a week, to see how the patient feels and find out if they’ve had any adverse effects. “That kind of time can’t be billed, but it can have a really big impact on patient success with their medications,” says Prudencio. “It also reinforces the strong bonds they have with their customers.”

He and Dean Matsumoto also got to visit with P4 student pharmacist Nooeree Samdani, who was completing a rotation there. “I really appreciated the feel of working in a community pharmacy, and the time everyone takes to talk with customers,” says Samdani. “I’ve worked as a pharmacy technician in a large chain store and there you don’t usually have the time to visit or the familiarity with customers. Here, I really felt like I was making a difference in people’s lives.”

Molokaʻi Drugs has been a DKICP preceptor site for 16 years. “Dr. Go and her staff host one of our students on rotation there every year,” notes Prudencio. “And they generously sponsor annual scholarships for two DKICP students interested in pursuing a career in rural healthcare. They are truly a valued partner and supporter of our college.”