Oprah Visits Pharmacy During 2020 Wellness Tour

Oprah Winfrey visited a pharmacy in Charlotte, North Carolina, during her 2020 Vision tour to raise awareness about mental and physical health. Charlotte was the third stop on Winfrey’s 9-city tour.¹

“I was really excited about going out and sharing this idea of 2020 vision, [and] using it to focus on yourself, to make yourself the healthiest in mind, body, and spirit that you can be,” Winfrey said in an interview with WBTV.²

Premier Pharmacy, founded approximately 5 years ago and owned by Martez Prince, PharmD, offers personalized services from medication adherence to pet prescriptions and genetic testing. They also have an on-site clinic, where patients can receive counseling for approximately $65 per visit.³

“We believe in passion over profit here,” Prince said in an interview with WBTV. “So that means that whatever it takes to make the patient well, we are going to try to help that patient achieve its ultimate outcome.”⁴

Part of reaching that goal, Prince told WBTV, involves emphasizing education, whether about the importance of adherence, medication therapy management, or suggestions about supplements and vitamins.⁴

The pharmacy serves roughly 600 families and offers an annual wellness festival to get the entire neighborhood involved. That festival is what originally attracted Winfrey’s attention. Prince discussed his approach to helping each unique patient, saying that affordability is a key advantage he’s able to offer his patients.⁴

Prince did acknowledge, however, that running an independent pharmacy presents challenges. Many patients, he said, believe they have to use specific big-box stores because of their insurance, but Prince said he wants them to know that there are other options, according to WBTV.⁴

Winfrey told WBTV she was extremely impressed with the many services the pharmacy offers, as well as its emphasis on the community.²

“This Premier Pharmacy is not just an advantage and a great offering for this community, but it’s a model for the country,” she said in the interview.²

REFERENCES

• How You Can Get Tickets to Oprah’s ‘2020 Vision’ Tour with WW, Oprah Magazine. https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a28899378/oprah-ww-tour/. Accessed Jan 23, 2020.
• Russell D. Oprah surprises local pharmacist, encourages health during Charlotte visit of Vision 2020 Wellness Tour. WBTV. https://www.wbtv.com/2020/01/18/oprah-surprises-local-pharmacist-encourages-health-during-charlotte-visit-vision-wellness-tour/. Accessed Jan 23, 2020.
• Premier Pharmacy website. Yourwellnesskey.com. Accessed Jan 23, 2020.
• Russell D. Charlotte’s Premier Pharmacy goes the extra mile. WBTV. https://www.wbtv.com/2020/01/23/charlottes-premier-pharmacy-goes-extra-mile/. Accessed Jan 23, 2020.