Northern Bedford Pharmacy Making a Difference in Area

Northern Bedford Pharmacy has been in New Enterprise for about 15 years, opening in June 2009.

Owner, Joe Breton, said having his own pharmacy was something he always wanted to do.

He said that he enjoys talking about family, sports, and the things going on in the lives of the people who use the pharmacy.

"We try to greet everybody by name and ask them how their day is going," Breton said. "We try to get to know them.

His parents using an independent pharmacy and his youngest sister having cystic fibrosis inspired him to become a pharmacist.

"I enjoyed the interactions, and they helped my sister with a lot of her needs," he said. "I always wanted to do it."

The opportunity presented itself, and Breton opened the Northern Bedford Pharmacy.

"I enjoy the closer, more personal interactions that you can have at an independent pharmacy," he said.

Being a pharmacist, Breton said, is being a part of a healthcare team, the community and a part of the lives of the people who live in the Northern Bedford area.

"These people know me, they know my family even though I'm not from the area," Breton said.

Right now he lives in Duncansville, but he is originally from Troy, N.Y.

After college, Breton moved to Syracuse, N.Y., and met a girl from Altoona who was also a pharmacist.

"After our 200th inch of snow, we said this is ridiculous, and we moved back here," he said.

Breton worked at Eckerd and then moved to the pharmacy at the Giant Eagle in Roaring Spring.

While working at Giant Eagle, he noticed that there was a pharmacy in Martinsburg and Roaring Spring.

However, the further south he looked, the pharmacies were fewer and more spread out in places such as Saxton, Everett, and Bedford.

"New Enterprise was right here in the middle. There wasn't a pharmacy," Breton said. "So I had always kept an eye open."

Then someone mentioned the current Northern Bedford Pharmacy building which was formerly a bank.

Once Breton acquired the location, it was a big process to transform it from a bank to a pharmacy.

"It used to be really dark in here, the floor was brown, and the walls were orange," he said. "I don't own the building but the landlords helped me redo the inside.

Breton said the main store area was changed to be a brighter space for the customers who visit the business.

"We want people to come here to feel better," he said.

Breton did not know much about the Northern Bedford area before he opened the pharmacy but he has been able to get to know the community well over the last 15 years.

"This area seems to help each other more," he said.

He has a son who has some health issues, and Breton was on the receiving end of that help.

"People brought me food, they brought me gifts and different things," he said. "I was the recipient so I have always wanted to give back."

A few months ago, Breton learned about the term "pharmacy desert."

"There is not another pharmacy around here," he said. "There's a physician in Loysburg, there's us and then that is it."

Breton said the pharmacy being in New Enterprise helps people shorten the drive to get healthcare and the medicines that they need.

"They are very appreciative," he said.

Breton said they get a lot of farmers, members of the Mennonite community, teachers, and many different types of demographics.

"We get people who have surgery in Altoona or Pittsburgh who get their prescriptions here because they want to keep the hometown feel," he said.

Breton said with issues such diabetes and high blood pressure, it has been proven that if people take medicines on a daily basis, it really does improve the outcome.

People can also get vaccines for the flu, shingles, RSV, pneumonia, and many more.

"Most times you can just walk in and within 15 minutes get a vaccine," Breton said.