Stonegate Pharmacy

Stonegate Pharmacy

Written by Darcie Duttweiler Friday, 26 September 2008

Rene Garza may have grown up in his dad’s pharmacy in Laredo, where he was tricked into counting M&Ms on pharmacist trays thinking they were pills, but the idea of owning a pharmacy was born out of other experiences.

When he was 20 years old, Garza was fatigued all the time and could not sleep through the night without having to use the restroom. His best friend had diabetes and tested Garza’s blood sugar, which was “off the chart.” Garza has been on insulin ever since.

“I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was in college, and I had to visit pharmacies all the time,” Garza said. “I saw a lot of things I didn’t like.”

While he could manage his diabetes, he did not appreciate how the staff at pharmacies treated him.

“I would regularly run out of syringes quicker than insulin and would need to go buy just the syringes,” Garza said. “They would treat me like I was a drug addict.”

Garza did not immediately pursue his dream of opening a pharmacy. He received his degree in chemistry from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1992 and then taught chemistry and biology at a high school in Edinburg, Texas.

After becoming “disillusioned with the politics of teaching,” Garza decided to go back to school to become a pharmacist. He graduated from the University of Texas pharmacy school in 2003. Two days later, he bought the S & S Pharmacy on James Casey Street, which he still owns.

When space became available, Garza jumped at the opportunity to build a new pharmacy from the ground up.

“I wanted a place to offer more than filling prescriptions,” he said.

Stonegate Pharmacy opened January 2007 on William Cannon Drive in the Stonegate medical buildings. The shop also administers immunizations and has a compounding lab, where medications are mixed.

“Our compounding lab is in an operating room environment,” Garza said. “We did things that were not required, but we wanted it to be the cleanest and safest area possible.”

The safety measures Garza took included a separate air conditioning system with eight HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters that continually cycle air, sliding doors and a particle containment hood to trap wayward dust from medicines.

Other special services offered at Stonegate include free delivery to South Austin clients and a website devoted to ordering and refilling prescriptions.

However, it is Garza’s initial distaste for the pharmacies he visited in his youth that drive how the store is run.

“We put customer service first,” he said. “[Customers] are not a burden to us. We’re like an old uncle, where you can come in, we know your name and you can ask us the uncomfortable questions. You may not always feel the greatest when you come in, but we want you to leave with a smile.”

Part of the family

Rene Garza, owner of Stonegate Pharmacy, said his commitment to his patients also applies to their four-legged family members. Some of his most unusual medication requests are from veterinarians, such as:

• A hospital-grade antibiotic IV set-up for a German shepherd
• Chicken pot pie-flavored antibiotics for a ferret
• Hyper-thyroid medications in a transdermal gel for cats, which is rubbed on the skin instead of ingested because of its bad taste

“Pets tend to be a lot finickier than humans,” Garza said.

Stonegate Pharmacy, 2501 W. William Cannon Drive, Ste. 203, 707-2300, www.stonegaterx.com

0 Comments