Pharmacy brings touch of past, future to Johnson Avenue

Posted

Stella Borukhova always seems to find a way to work in Riverdale.

For years, one could find Borukhova behind the pharmacy counter at the Rite Aid at 541 W. 235th St., where she provided patients with their medical prescriptions.

But nowadays, Borukhova helps patients behind her own counter at Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy. Located at 3547 Johnson Ave., the pharmacy opened in February, providing customers with the opportunity to fill their prescriptions and explore homeopathy and alternative medicine as additional health options, while slowly evolving into a health food store as well. 

Borukhova’s leap from full-time pharmacist to full-time pharmacist and business owner came after years of working at both Rite Aid and later at a small independent pharmacy chain in Manhattan. Between juggling multiple tasks and not having enough staffers, Borukhova wanted to do something new.

“Working for a big company is great, but I feel like there (aren’t) a lot of opportunities to move (up) there,” Borukhova said. “There (aren’t) a lot of opportunities to incorporate patient care the way that I really wanted to.”

Ultimately, the timing for Borukhova to make the transition to business owner was perfect. A retail space had just opened up on Johnson Avenue, and she couldn’t “not take” the opportunity to return to Riverdale, even if it means a continued commute from Queens.

“I couldn’t wait to be back in Riverdale,” she said. “Riverdale is like my second family, my second home. I’m just so happy here.”

The next step was getting her parents’ support. Borukhova happens to come from a medical field family. Her father, Ruben Boruk, was a doctor in what once was the Soviet Union. Her mother, Nina Sadykova, was a nurse there as well. Even her grandfather was a gastroenterologist in the former communist country. 

Borukhova’s parents instantly supported Borukhova’s decision so much, the three put their money together to open Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy.

“I wanted to go off on my own because I knew I had it in me,” Borukhova said. “I knew I had a passion, the drive, the determination. And I said, ‘If other people could do it, why can’t I?’”

Borukhova’s parents work alongside Borukhova. “It’s nice to have them close by,”  she said.

Since Riverdale Specialty’s opening, the store has received positive feedback from customers as many welcome her to the neighborhood and give suggestions on what they want to see in the store.

With that in mind, Borukhova hopes to expand the pharmacy to include more organic and natural products, provide a cosmetics section, and stock more men’s and women’s products. 

Borukhova also hopes to turn Riverdale Specialty into a compounding pharmacy, meaning she and her staff would be able to prepare personalized medication for patients when a product isn’t available, has been discontinued, or is on back order. 

But for customers who just need a place to fill a prescription, Riverdale Specialty currently accepts nearly all forms of commercial health plans except for Emblem Health. She also doesn’t accept Medicare or Medicaid quite yet, but will be able to fill prescriptions through those plans once she receives formal approval. 

The opening has also helped Borukhova reunite with many of her former customers at Rite Aid who heard about her return to Riverdale.

“I’m happy that they know I’m here because I want to be able to serve these people,” Borukhova said.

Through the past month since the pharmacy’s opening, Borukhova said she’s constantly learning how much work and commitment it takes to run a business like this — especially when it comes to providing competitive prices that will satisfy customers. But in the end, she stays focused on being able to play a role in a patient’s life, which she recognizes as the best part of her job.

When it comes to operating an independent pharmacy, the threat of a bigger corporation putting it out of business always looms. 

But with organizations like the Federation of Pharmacy Networks — a group that works to protect independent pharmacies from these threats — it might not have to. Representing more than 70 percent of small pharmacies, the federation helps “level the playing field with these large chains,” said Carol Carlson, its chief executive. 

Major pharmacy mergers like those involving Walgreens and Rite Aid have allowed big business to acquire interest in insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers — third party administrators who manage prescription drug programs for health plans, Carlson added — ultimately driving away business for independent stores. And that’s where the federation steps in. 

“Combining pharmacies and (pharmacy benefit managers) under one roof creates a conflict of interest,” Carlson said. “It can restrict patients’ access to certain prescription drugs, and can prevent independent drugstores from competing fairly for its new customers, and ultimately lead to “high drug prices for consumers.”

Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy is part of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, Borukhova said, an organization that provides support for pharmacies and pharmacists. 

While the Rite Aids and Walgreens of the world remain a major concern, Borukhova chooses to focus her energy on providing what she calls the best customer service. 

“I feel like working in my own pharmacy, I can get the stuff that (I) need to become more efficient, be more flexible, and be more attentive to my patients,” Borukhova said. “My passion is to be able to build trust and relationships with the patients that walk through our doors, (and) help them overcome whatever it is that they’re trying to seek help for.”

UPDATE: Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy, which started welcoming the community to its 3547 Johnson Ave., store earlier this year, while at the same time expanding the types of insurance and medical coverage it accepts.

The pharmacy, owned by Stella Borukhova and her family, now accepts all major commercial prescription insurances, including Medicare Part D. 

Borukhova has expanded the offerings her pharmacy provides, including products like organic vitamins and herbals, as well as holistic products.

Borukhova also offers compounding services to help create specialty products not quite available on the market, like ointments and solutions.

Stella Borukhova, Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Ruben Boruk, Nina Sadykova, Federation of Pharmacy Networks, Carol Carlson, Tiffany Moustakas

Comments