CINCINNATI — A Black-owned pharmacy in Avondale is planning to make health care more accessible for underserved communities.
Dr. Emmanuel Ayanjoke is the owner of Altev Community Pharmacy. His pharmacy provides a free discount program that slashes prices.
“It’s all about our patients,” Ayanjoke said. “It’s all about our dedication to their care.”
Community leaders said Altev is the only pharmacy in their neighborhood. They said it’s been 17 years since Avondale had a pharmacy.
“It means a lot for the community, for our community, because we have a lot of Black people in our community,” said Avondale Community Leader Quentin Taylor. “They don’t have cars. They can’t get to [their] medicine.”
Taylor said having a Black pharmacist in the neighborhood will break down barriers, creating more trust between the Black community and the healthcare system.
“Because it makes the Black people comfortable, coming to the pharmacy … talking to him every day and he understands where we come from,” Taylor said.
“He takes good care of me,” said Wanda White, one of Ayanjoke’s patients.
After she talked with Dr. Manny, she immediately switched to his pharmacy.
“Sometimes I don’t want to do like the doctor tells me to do, but he’s on it, he’s like ‘Now, Wanda, you know you’re supposed to be doing this,” she said. “He takes the time to go through every one of my prescriptions for me.”
Avondale Community Council President Sandra Jones Mitchell also goes to Altev Community Pharmacy.
“He also told me some things that I didn’t know about my medicine. There was some I was taking at night I should have took in the morning, right, and so my doctor never caught that,” she said.
Ayanjoke was able to open his pharmacy because of the financial backing of McKesson, a health care company.
Altev Community Pharmacy is part of McKesson’s pilot program, Project Oasis. The program empowers and supports pharmacy professionals to own and operate independent community pharmacies in underserved communities. Altev is the first pharmacy they opened in the program.
“We have a purpose and it’s to improve health outcomes for all,” said McKesson CEO Brian Tyler.
Several city, county and community leaders were at the grand opening event, including Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Cincinnati City Council members Scotty Johnson and Seth Walsh, Congressman Greg Landsman and Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reece.
“This has been ground zero as it relates to health deserts, food deserts, economic deserts — we are the desert — but thanks to God today, we’re bringing some water,” Reece said.
Lemon Kearney said it’s crucial for the community to support Altev, so it can be successful and save lives.
