City Center Pharmacy by Guest Column

Most pharmacies are hidden beyond the store front; leaving customers — some of them ill — to make their way past aisles of products and displays in order to reach their destination, which is nestled against a back wall.

 

Saifi Raniwala saw this as a problem and made it his mission to remedy the problem of relegating pharmaceuticals to an out-of-the-way place in the store’s layout.

 

Saifi had a lot of experience in the industry. Following completing college in 1997, Saifi worked for various chains. Five years after working for large corporations, he accepted a job as an on-call pharmacist for independent pharmacies in the San Joaquin Valley. He saw the way they operated and thought, “I can do this” and began looking for a location in Contra Costa County. When a building in Pittsburg presented itself, Saifi decided to take a leap of faith. “It was a little scary,” he admitted, “but it worked out.” Two and half years after opening City Center Pharmacy’s Pittsburg location, Saifi realized that he had to expand the business in order to further serve East County patrons.

“There are no other independent pharmacies in the East County,” Saifi said. “In Brentwood, the last one was closed 16 years ago.” With that in mind, he opened their newest location in Brentwood.

As a full service pharmacy, City Center accepts all insurance policies, fills all prescriptions, and offers an extensive selection of over-the-counter brands. “We can do anything any other pharmacy can do,” Saifi said. “There is a misconception that private pharmacies charge more, but we just charge whatever the co-pay is. It’s all the same.”

There are distinct advantages to choosing City Center Pharmacy. Saifi and his staff specialize in compounding, a process that combines the exact ingredients prescribed rather than forcing people to simply ingest whatever dosage the company put into their tablet. “We are the only pharmacy in East County that does compounding,” Saifi explained, “which means that we prepare medications from scratch” rather than just counting ingredients by fives and pouring them together.”

The compounding market is rapidly expanding; many doctors are prescribing specific compounds that cannot be found in pre-packaged pills. Women are beginning to prefer natural hormones, which can be compounded on-site at the pharmacy, over pre-manufactured hormone tablets. Dermatologists recommend special compounds with precise combinations that may work better together for certain patients; the same is true for dentists who need reduced dosages for younger patients in order to make procedures comfortable. “Our customers can get the exact dose that the doctor prescribes rather than being limited to whatever is available in the market place,” Saifi said.

The other major advantage of a private pharmacy is the smaller more personalized staff. The Brentwood location operates with a staff of two and the Pittsburg location with five, which means that customers are likely to see the same person each time they visit. “I am the owner; I am the pharmacist,” Saifi said. “You won’t be served by a different pharmacist every time you come in.”

Maintaining a small staff allows City Center Pharmacy to offer personalized service, which provides protection against staff communication errors. “All employees are here just about all the time. From open to close, except for breaks; everybody is there working together as a team,” Saifi said. He and his staff strive to respect the customers and offer specialized services instead of staying behind the counter, filling prescriptions and getting them out the door as quickly as possible.

Bringing that personal feeling back to medicine is Saifi’s ultimate goal. He knows that some patients are unable to travel, so he willingly delivers prescriptions free of charge to Brentwood residents. “We offer services that customers appreciate,” Saifi said. City Center Pharmacy also accepts Sharps containers for diabetic syringes and needles, and gives a new one without charge. Customers who have expired or excess medications can bring them to the pharmacy to be destroyed, eliminating the possibility of children’s access to dangerous drugs.

Saifi believes that local businesses are the basis of our economy. City Center Pharmacy is a personalized professional service that aims to bring that small town feeling back to medicine.