Page 5 - MidWeek Kauai - July 14, 2021

Dr. Daniel Sabin, pharmacy manager in ‘Āina Haina, Longs Drugs/CVS Hawai‘i
Jon Higa, assistant general manager, Longs Drugs/CVS Hawai‘i
Fran Nakoa, district leader, Longs Drugs/CVS Hawai‘i
Dan Clarkson, district leader, Longs Drugs/CVS Hawai‘i
The hearts of employees are always a part of every charitable cause for Longs Drugs, but especially when it involves the American Heart Association and its “Go Red for Women” day. PHOTO COURTESY LONGS DRUGS/CVS HAWAI‘I
To further improve the overall health of its customers during the global pandemic and beyond, the retail phar- macy chain opened three new HealthHUB locations in ‘Aiea, Kāne‘ohe and Wahi- awā last December. Among the key features incorporated into these innovative in-store centers are an on-site Care Concierge focused on custom- er engagement, a greater se- lection of health and wellness products, and more personal- ized support at the pharmacy, including education and coun- seling for patients with chronic conditions.
to Super Bowl LVI in Los An- geles. (For a list of what other participating companies are offering, see page 8.)
about receiving a vaccine,” says Higa. “Through the #On- eStepCloser sweepstakes, we are working to close gaps in hesitancy, provide a positive reminder of the activities that are possible for people once they are vaccinated, and thank our customers who chose CVS Health to receive this import- ant vaccine.”
nia, shingles, chicken pox and meningitis — Longs Drugs is also helping patients better manage their prescription reg- imens, all while saving them money and earning rewards.
Higa believes the campaign could be the shot in the arm needed to ease concerns and eliminate reticence among the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated.
For example, Higa notes the drugstore’s ScriptSync program aligns prescription refills for patients with various maintenance medications, al- lowing them to be picked up or delivered at the same time. Additionally, its ScriptPath prescription management
“According to the most recent CDC household pulse survey COVID-19 vaccina- tion tracker, 17.6% of adults 18 years and over are hesitant
Aside from offering a number of vaccinations at its pharmacies — which include those for influenza, pneumo-
Higa explains that Health-
SEE PAGE 8
system automatically reviews a patient’s current prescription information and prescribers’ instructions, and provides them with a schedule of the most effective times of day to take each medication.
As pharmacy manager of Longs Drugs in ‘Āina Haina, Dr. Daniel Sabin is most proud of the interpersonal relationships he’s developed with customers over the past five years. Since day one on the job, he’s made himself available to just about every person who enters the store at 5156 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy., willingly sharing quality health advice while taking the time to get to know people beyond their names.
As a result, customers have grown to view him as both friend and confidant.
“The connection that I’ve built with folks is so much deeper than just the profes- sional level,” explains Sabin. “When you know somebody like that, it allows them to open up to you and to trust you.”
A native of the Beaver State, Sabin attended Oregon State University’s College of Phar- macy, where he met and fell in love with a fellow student from the Aloha State.
“Once we finished school, she came back home and I fol- lowed,” he says.
That was in 2009, the same year that he joined Longs Drugs/CVS Hawai‘i as “a float- ing pharmacist” working at stores across the Hawaiian Island chain. The mobile job not only increased his appre- ciation of Longs Drugs and its far-reaching impact on customers statewide, but also
placed him in the enviable position of being groomed by knowledgeable and ex- perienced managers and co-workers.
“I really got to see what Longs had to offer, and I got to meet and network with a lot of great people and learn from them,” recalls Sabin of those days.
Today, he leads a highly trained and attentive staff that not only specializes in prescrip- tion medications, health care products, beauty products and other remedies, but also con- sistently ranks within the top 5% in the company (there are more than 7,200 CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the coun- try) based upon the number of immunizations it administers.
Sabin calls Longs Drugs’ ability to provide preventative medicine to Hawai‘i’s commu- nities “unmatched.”
“The data is clear: People who come to our pharmacies have better outcomes,” says Sa- bin. “They’re better at staying on their medications because we have services to help keep them compliant. We’re also accessible because our reach is far and wide.
“So, there are so many things that go into it that allow us to really be there for people.”
And being there for others is what the always-accessible pharmacist from Longs Drugs is all about.
“These programs help with medication adherence and make it more convenient for patients to access their pre- scriptions, even when spend- ing more time at home,” he ex- plains, adding that customers can also earn up to $50 in Ex- traBucks Rewards through the ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards program, simply by “filling prescriptions, getting flu shots and more.”
JULY 14, 2021 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK 5
Keeping Hawai‘i Healthy Remains A Priority For Longs Drugs
Pharmacy manager Dr. Daniel Sabin leads a team of talented individuals at Longs Drugs in ‘Āina Haina. They include Dr. Sara Lum (far right) and pharmacy techs Toni-Lyn Park and Kris Nagayama.