Friends and neighbors
Nekos-Dedricks Pharmacy goes the extra step

Always looking out for you at Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy
Customers can now watch their prescriptions being compounded

Remember the popular TV sitcom “Cheers”? Almost everyone does. It was the place where everybody knew your name. That jingle comes vibrantly to mind as you pass through the doors of Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy at 86 North Front St. in Kingston. You may not see the quirky Sam Malone or Carla Tortelli there to wait on you, but you’ll get that same sense of familiarity.

Within seconds, you’ll be acknowledged and greeted warmly. The pharmacists themselves—George Nekos, Maryann Sheeley, Renee Nekos and Melissa Burdash—know their customers’ names and their history. You’re not just a face in the crowd or a number on a list. You’re a neighbor, a friend and a real person with real needs. That’s what co-owners and business partners George Nekos and Maryann Sheeley have worked hard to achieve over the years, and it’s at the heart of everything they do.

Not long ago, the pair invested $350,000 to build an addition to the 6,000-square-foot pharmacy that includes a state-of-the-art compounding lab and sterile room. Patients can now peer through a large window to watch their pharmacists at work in the lab, changing the dosages or forms of their medications if they can’t take it in the usual way.

Compounding is governed by strict United States Pharmacopeia (USP) guidelines that are designed to cut down on infections transmitted to patients through pharmaceutical products. Adding the lab was a big expenditure but well worth it, said George Nekos.“It was a big investment, but in the light of all the chain stores moving in, we needed to diversify further. There’s a very great need for compounding, and I think we’ve already made a big difference in our area and beyond.”

Nekos said some drugs like the commercially manufactured Armour Thyroid have been in short supply lately, and Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy has been widely called upon to help out. “It’s been unavailable, and the people who rely on it had been left in a lurch. We were able to compound the capsules…and have actually been getting calls from across the state and the country,” Nekos said.

He and Sheeley are proud of the new lab and how it further builds their customers’ trust.“We actually invite people to come and watch us. We even give them a tour. We have two big glass windows looking into the lab. It creates interest from the customer. It’s clean, neat and organized. “We’re not compounding in a back room of a store or plaza. We’re doing it right before your eyes. It’s a lot like a restaurant. If you can actually see your food being prepared through the kitchen window, it creates confidence in the product that you’re making.”

So many other things have endeared people to Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy over the years. Not only have they served three generations of families, but they’re proud of how they’ve done it. “We go the extra step to serve our customers, and we make it a point to speak to them directly,” said Nekos. “It’s a state law for the pharmacist to speak to the patient when a new prescription is issued or there are changes in the dosage or strength of the medication. “Many people who have been going to the chains don’t know this. When they come to us, they say, ‘Wow! The pharmacist actually spoke to me.’ That’s why we’re still here. Many other independent pharmacies have gone under, but we’re still here and we’re doing very well.”

Other reasons could be the medical equipment they rent and service. Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy offers a whole line of home health-care products like wheelchairs, lift chairs, mastectomy products, nebulizers, compression stockings and diabetic supplies. The staff at Nekos-Dedrick’s not only delivers the products to their customers’ homes, but they set them up and service them if there are problems.

The same is true of prescription drugs. Nekos-Dedrick’s has two full-time people on staff who will actually deliver the medications to their patients’ homes. There are no delivery fees if they live within a five-mile radius. “That is especially important to the home-bound elderly,” said Nekos. If they need it, we’ll make sure they get it, even on the weekend or on holidays. We’ll even deliver a glass of water if they want it.”

Nekos-Dedrick’s, a Chamber member for more than 50 years, said it’s small things like this that should be a deciding factor when picking a pharmacy. “We’re locally owned. We’re locally operated, and we support our local families, and our profits don’t go to the corporate headquarters in Rhode Island. We care about our local families and we support their many causes. I think that really makes a difference. 
“We’re a very, very busy store, but we give everyone of our customers our complete attention. You’re never a stranger at Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy,” he said.

Nekos-Dedrick’s Pharmacy is located at 86 North Front St. in Kingston. For more information, call 338-8000 or go to www.nekosdedricks.com.