Alumna Leads with Personalized Care at Her Hometown Pharmacy

Editor's note: This is the fourth story in a five-part community pharmacy series covering College of Pharmacy alumni who operate independent pharmacies in rural or underserved communities across Tennessee.

College of Pharmacy alumna Sara Adams, PharmD, owns and operates Baker Brothers Drugs in her hometown of Manchester, Tennessee.

Manchester, Tennessee, just an hour outside of Chattanooga, is known for its biking trails, waterfalls, and the Bonnaroo Music Festival. In the center of Manchester, on Main Street, Baker Brothers Drugs has stood since 1928. On the second floor was the original community hospital of Manchester. Today, older patrons visiting Baker Brothers remember a time when the hospital was operating, and some were even born there.

After undergoing several changes in ownership, Sara Adams, PharmD, a 2018 graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy in Nashville, is now the proud owner of Baker Brothers Drugs.

The pharmacy is a time capsule of health care as it was almost 100 years ago. Dr. Adams made a point to keep the authentic feel with old-school bottles, décor, and other implements. She sees preserving the history of the profession and area in Baker Brothers as a personal mission. "It's like walking into a museum," she proudly says. "The historic, old-school charm needs to be respected and preserved. If I don't preserve it, then it will be lost."

Dr. Adams was born and raised in Manchester. Her journey into pharmacy practice began out of necessity when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As a young child, she took on the responsibilities of managing medications, administering injections, and caring for her mother. She even practiced injections using an orange, as many pharmacy students do in their first year to practice their immunization skills.

She pursued her studies in biomedical chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University, returning home frequently to attend to her mother's needs. Dr. Adams gained valuable experience by shadowing a pharmacist, who was a former employee of Baker Brothers, in a local hospital. However, as a self-described social butterfly, Dr. Adams desired a more personal relationship with her patients. She found an opportunity to have that at Baker Brothers, where she was given a job as a clerk.

A Manchester staple for 96 years, Baker Brothers continues to offer personalized care for community members under Dr. Adams' direction.

Seeing how the former owners uplifted the community through the pharmacy inspired her. This experience fueled her decision to pursue a career in pharmacy and eventually led her back to Baker Brothers with the hope of one day owning the pharmacy. "I admired their impact and wished to achieve the same," she says. "It made sense for me to follow a career in pharmacy and eventually return to Baker Brothers, hoping to buy it one day."

The College of Pharmacy's Nashville campus was an ideal place for her to attend pharmacy school. Manchester's proximity to Nashville allowed her to return home often, not only to care for her mother but also to stay engaged with her hometown community. The faculty at the college equipped her with crucial skills for community pharmacy practice. "They truly did everything possible to ensure I had all the necessary experiences from a community perspective," Dr. Adams says. Following her time in the college, she returned to work at Baker Brothers, where a job was waiting for her. After several years, her dream of owning the business came true when she purchased the pharmacy in 2021.

Dr. Adams emphasizes personalized care, a cornerstone of Baker Brothers since its establishment. This individualized attention creates a strong bond with the patients. "A patient told me recently, 'You know why I prefer you over other pharmacies? When you hit a certain spot in the store, someone already greets you by name and asks how you are,'" Dr. Adams says proudly. She values the loyalty of her patients and offers personal and attentive care, emphasizing face-to-face interactions, especially for senior citizens, to help them navigate their medication needs.

Dr. Adams has developed a medication synchronization system to keep patients on track with their medications. At the start of every week, she and her staff review which prescriptions are due and contact patients to remind them about refills and offer assistance. This approach leads to valuable conversations about the importance of medications and ensures that patients have what they need to stay healthy. These conversations are essential to her in building a personalized relationship central to her philosophy.

"I aim to be someone my patients trust to advocate for them," she says.

This story was originally featured in the Fall 2024 issue of the College of Pharmacy Magazine. If you have a story to tell about making a difference in your community or would like to highlight your community pharmacy, contact Nathan Ball, communications and marketing manager for the College of Pharmacy, at [email protected].

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