Growing up in North St. Louis, Dr. Marcus Howard never envisioned that he would one day open a pharmacy.
But while pursuing his Ph.D. in Human Development at NC State University, Howard met Dr. Martez Prince, owner of Premier Pharmacy and Wellness Center in Charlotte. Years ago, Prince opened a pharmacy to fill an unmet need in the city, hoping to not only supply Charlotteans with the medicine they required but to connect them with crucial wellness services they might not otherwise receive. Howard saw the impact that Prince’s pharmacy had on underrepresented communities in the city, and started thinking about how he might build on the idea in his own hometown.
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“I was amazed and inspired by what he did in Charlotte,” Howard says. “I wanted to bring something similar to St. Louis.”
With GreaterHealth Pharmacy, Howard is striving to fulfill that mission. GreaterHealth, which opened late last year at Delmar Divine, is a racially- and culturally-inclusive pharmacy that aims to give Black St. Louisans a place where the medical professionals look like them, a place where they can receive wide-ranging health services, and a place where they feel seen. The pharmacy fulfills prescriptions; provides point-of-care testing, health screenings, immunizations, and medication counseling; and also offers free delivery to patients who do not have reliable transportation.
“Whether somebody doesn’t have enough money for a car or they are experiencing problems walking or getting around or they just don’t have time, that impacts their ability to be healthy,” Howard says.
Serving such patients in need is an energizing endeavor for Howard. Although GreaterHealth has been in business for a little more than four months, he’s already seen the effect it has had on the city. Howard recalls how one 90-year-old woman, who relies on more than 20 medications, had been struggling to navigate the healthcare system. The woman believed doctors and staffers at her previous pharmacy weren’t receptive to her questions and concerns. Then, her nephew brought her to GreaterHealth.
“Our pharmacist talked through all of the medications she was on, the side effects, and made some substitutions,” Howard says. “Then she transferred her prescriptions over and we started to deliver them to her. She just broke down. When I got there, she was just like, ‘This is the best service I’ve ever experienced from a healthcare provider, period.’”
Howard is already thinking about expansion. He’s hoping to open five more GreaterHealth pharmacies throughout Missouri by 2026, eyeing other communities that have been historically underserved. Howard wants GreaterHealth’s services to reflect the immediate needs of the communities it serves. For example, if he opens a pharmacy in an area with high rates of diabetes, Howard plans to offer diabetes testing, glucose testing, and other resources to help with preventative care.
With GreaterHealth, Howard sees an opportunity to ensure that more St. Louisans have the ability to get the care they need, regardless of circumstances.
“We’re bold enough to say, ‘We want to serve everybody,’” Howard says. “We don’t care who you are. We don’t care about religion or sexual orientation. We don’t care about race. We serve everybody.”
