The Medicine Center family are, from left, Nancy Wharmby, Joy Parkinson, Paul White, Susan White and Brad White. The pharmacy operation has been growing in Stark County since 1976.
By Ed Pritchard
The Repository
The Repository
Printed: June 1, 2021
Medicine Center Pharmacy expands
Business grows to now include four stores, specialty lab
Adjusting with changes has helped the Medicine Center Pharmacy keep going for 45 years.
Paul White had worked 10 years with the former Schuman Drug when he decided, with his wife Susan, to open Canton's first Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy franchise in 1976. The Whites opted out of the franchise in the late 1980's and renamed the store Medicine Center. They haven't looked back.
Medicine Center has expanded to Louisville, Minerva and New Philadelphia. The company added an accredited non-sterile compounding laboratory in 2006 and opened an institutional pharmacy in 2010. A retail store - Half Off and Hot Buys - opened in Louisville in 2000.
The business grew from White as the lone pharmacist and a part-time employee to 75 employees and more than a dozen pharmacists.
Changes came as the business worked to meet the health care needs of customers, Paul White said.
"There have been a lot of changes not only to the pharmacy industry but to each of our communities, as well," he said. "Our customers come first, and as their needs have grown, we have adapted alongside them. Many of our customers have been with us through generations. We know our customers, and they know us."
The specialty pharmacies complement the company's retail stores.
The accredited non-sterile compounding laboratory customizes medication for patients who may have allergies or require alternate formulations for medications. Medicine Center serves assisted living and senior living facilities, group homes, correctional facilities and long-term care centers through the institutional pharmacy, which provides pre-packaged individual dose medication for patients.
Another change has been the pharmacy's "Health Matters with Medicine Center Pharmacy" radio program. Paul White and his son Brad, also a register pharmacist, host the weekly program and interview medical experts.
In the stores, customers can participate in monthly low-cost health screenings and free blood pressure checks. For customers who are home bound, a member of the pharmacy team will shop for retail pharmacy needs and include the prescription delivery.