Holding on to that 'mom & pop shop' feeling

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Precision Pharmacy of Long Beach
629 E. Park Ave., Long Beach
(516) 889-8899, www.precisionpharmacy.net

“We are here to stay,” says John Stella, one of the four founders of Precision Pharmacy. After Kings Pharmacy closed, it was evident that Long Beach needed a family drug store to take its place.

Owners of Precision Pharmacy are two sets of brothers: John and Frank Stella, and their longtime friends, Rick and Frank Longo. The vision of a mom-and-pop style drug store dates back three generations to the 1950s, when the original Stella’s Pharmacy opened in Brooklyn. Still in Canarsie, Stella’s is the first of five family-owned pharmacies, with Long Beach the newest. The three others are based in Great Neck, Belle Harbor and Bellmore.

Personal touches and attention to each customer’s needs is what the owners aim to maintain. They also provide the many services offered by major chain pharmacies.

“When you bring in a prescription to fill, we will generally get you in and out within 15 minutes,” John Stella said. ‘If you’re unable or too sick to get here, we’ll pick up the prescription, fill it, and deliver it back to you. We always have full-time delivery service.”

Precision Pharmacy offers compounding for special situations and an individual’s needs. This means a medicine or ointment can be created to replace one that is hard to find or discontinued, usually because of lack of mass demand. Medications can be made allergy-friendly, more palatable without compromising effectiveness, or in a dosage that’s not readily available.

Keeping in touch with personal needs, they offer prescription labels in several different languages, and a large inventory of difficult-to-find medications. They can provide home health equipment, such as hospital beds and wheelchairs. On display are over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, greeting cards, beach toys, and person care and beauty products. Fax and notary services are available, as are walk-in flu shots and DVM vision tests.

Supervising pharmacist at the Long Beach store is Matt Tagliava, who grew up in Howard Beach and graduated from St. John’s University. As a licensed pharmacist, he is certified to give vaccines and administer CPR. He has been with the Precision Pharmacy team since 2009, and looks forward to being of help to the Long Beach and surrounding community.

Precision Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prescription refills can be requested online, with the option of pick-up or delivery.

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