Best of Southern Utah winner Stucki Family Pharmacy delivers compounds with a patient-centric approach

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Recognized as the best pharmacy in Southern Utah three years in a row, Stucki Family Pharmacy delivers specialty drug services with a patient-centric approach.   

Supplements at Stucki Family Pharmacy, Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Stucki Family Pharmacy, St. George News

Samuel K. Stucki, doctor of pharmacy, opened Stucki Family Pharmacy in 2014. After spending most of his career on the corporate side of pharmacy, he saw an opportunity to provide the community with more individualized patient care.

Meeting customers daily, communicating with them on a human level and finding solutions for their unique needs is what drove Stucki to establish an independent pharmacy. He left the corporate world disillusioned with endless protocols and restrictions, asking himself, “Why am I here if not to help the patients?”  

“We do everything we can to help patients get the medications they need,” he said.   

Along with immunizations, health screenings and all the services of a community drugstore, Stucki Family Pharmacy creates compounds in a state-of-the-art laboratory on site. If you need a dosage that isn’t available from the manufacturer or a medication that’s no longer on the market, compounding is the solution. 

Compounding pharmacies can also change how drugs are delivered. For instance, a young child who has difficulty swallowing a tablet could instead take their medication in liquid form, and a hospice patient unable to swallow at all may require a suppository or a cream that can be absorbed through the skin.   

More than just mixing medications, compounding is a precise science calculated to provide maximum benefit to the patient. In order to transform a powder into a topical solution, Stucki first makes the medicine small enough to pass through the skin. The drug must also be surrounded by a microsphere of lipids that mimic the natural fats of skin. 

Pre-packed medications from Stucki Family Pharmacy, Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Stucki Family Pharmacy, St. George News

For patients suffering from chronic pain and inflammation, low-dose naltrexone is a promising solution only available through compounding pharmacies. Stucki said it’s a safer alternative to over-the-counter drugs like Advil and Tylenol, which carry a risk of numerous side effects when used long-term. 

Stucki Family Pharmacy has been recognized as the gold standard of local pharmacies by voters in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Best of Southern Utah program. Stucki expressed his gratitude to the many customers who trust his staff with their medication needs. 

The pharmacy is located in a strip mall just off Telegraph Road in Washington City and also offers free delivery. Stucki noted that he is able to better serve customers by investing in cutting-edge compounding equipment rather than paying exorbitant rent for a downtown storefront.  

“I’ve made the right choices to be able to share those cost savings with the public, so they’re able to get the same medicines for a little less than most of my competitors.”  

Stucki Family Pharmacy also compounds quickly. Most orders are ready within 24-48 hours. Stucki said this isn’t typical of pharmacies in the area that operate using a batch system, which means some compounds are produced as infrequently as once a week. 

“We don’t do that,” he said. “We receive the order from the patient, and we get right on it.” 

Pharmacist Samuel K. Stucki, Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Stucki Family Pharmacy, St. George News

Stucki’s mission is to create a patient-focused resource within the community where his roots run deep. Aside from completing his education at the University of Utah, he has spent his entire life in the local area. Five generations ago, his namesake sailed to America and arrived in Santa Clara with the original company of Swiss settlers.

A champion of the independent approach to pharmacy, Stucki believes customers would be better served by a selection of locally owned and operated drugstores in every community.

“We have to go back to taking care of patients,” he said. “We try to solve their problems.” 

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

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Resources

  • Stucki Family Pharmacy | Address: 568 W. Telegraph St. #3, Washington City | Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Telephone: 435-627-8848 | Website.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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