Thao Doan, pharmacist/owner of Tu Quynh Pharmacy and a CPESN® New York City luminary, says her Vietnamese and Chinese patients benefit by using their Medicare OTC cards to purchase healthy food items and traditional health aids. As Medicare Advantage programs increase benefit amounts, patients can use the dollars to buy certain foods. Doan says focusing on what patients need and use helps them make the most of the benefits and adds revenue for her pharmacy.

Mariela Silva, a clinical pharmacist at Lino's Pharmacy, encourages other community pharmacies to consider having at least one staff member who can communicate in basic Spanish. The CPESN® Texas pharmacy is located near the Mexico border and serves a large Hispanic population. With Spanish as the second most common language in the U.S., Silva says there is opportunity for most pharmacies to engage their Hispanic patients which can help expand services.

Vito Colombo, a first-generation Italian, is co-owner along with his pharmacist wife Elaine of Colombo's Pharmacy in Queens where they are members of CPESN New York City. Colombo says he learned from his father the value of greeting customers and making an effort to understand and speak their language. His Middle Village pharmacy is located in a walking neighborhood, rich in its ethnic mix of Italian, German, Irish, Albanian, Polish, and Spanish-speaking people. His tip for other CPESN pharmacists: Using Google Translate to help a customer feel comfortable and understood goes a long way in building trust.

Paula Miller, a CPESN Kentucky Managing Network Facilitator, shares her personal passion for providing healthcare services to disabled patients. She is co-owner of Ruwe Pharmacy with three locations in northern Kentucky, and her pharmacy works with local agencies to deliver pharmacy services to patients living in group homes.