Kensington Pharmacy:
309 Church Avenue
Between E. 3rd and E. 4th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11218
347-533-6619
Fax 347-533-6618

A new Pharmacy has opened in the Kensington Section of Brooklyn, but one will be surprised how much experience and Brooklyn lineage the "new" boys in town bring. Years ago, M and F Discounts had a Pharmacy department which was dear to the Kensington community. Rite-Aid, the super-store which is now over 3 billion dollars into bankruptcy bought out the beloved institution, leaving a gap in the community's heart. After many years of a dark hole in the back of the store, starting in late March of 2010, the pharmacy reopened under the name "Kensington Pharmacy". And not only has it reopened, but it has brought nearly 60 years of Brooklyn Pharmacy experience with the new team of Arnold Lubitz R.Ph and Ruben Safir R.Ph

The Head Pharmacist, Ruben Safir, has worked the borough as a Pharmacist in Borough Park, Flatbush, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg. In addition to his retail experience, Ruben has significant hospital experience with an intense understanding of pediatric pharmacy, IV therapy, infectious disease and geriatrics. When working towards his PhD in Pharmaceutics, he also taught compounding and is a whiz at those specialized custom prescriptions that few dare to take on.

Arnold, the Junior-Senior partner of the pair, originally was Ruben's preceptor and boss. An independent owner operator for nearly 30 years in the Flatbush area, Arnold has a great deal of experience with Durable Medical Supplies, Wheel Chairs, Bandages and Restraints.

So, although this is a new Pharmacy, these are no rookies. Even a quick conversation with the Staff shows that these two pharmacists are special. This is an interview with the head Pharmacist, Ruben Safir, that we had at the outdoor Blood Pressure Screening he was doing on Church Avenue

Ruben Safir R.Ph: It takes a lot of hard work, more money than you think, and a dogged determination to do things right to start a pharmacy in today's uncertain health industry. When I first interviewed for this position as the Supervising Pharmacist, the tiles in the back near the Pharmacy were not completely laid down. I got glue all over my new shoes, and the walls were bare. I met with the ownership, twice, and we had significant conversations about what we wanted to do and how we were going to service the community. There had been a Pharmacy previously in the location, but it had been several years. The Pharmacy was in the back of a small discounting business that inherited much of the Pharmacy front end, and sells lottery tickets in the front. But just reaching the back of the store to get to the pharmacy was much of a challenge. I had to build everything from scratch. And it has taken a lot of work and time. Government regulations concerning drugs, facilities, computer software, insurance regulations and oversight, over the last year have become nearly impossible to overcome. It's taken months of paperwork and stocking to get things were they are now, which is a very nice full service Pharmacy department.

BL: I see some unusual things in your set up, what are you doing special?

Ruben: You mean, like I'm here with the patients rather than hiding behind the prescription counter? (Laughter from both of us) Yeah, we are already a little different. The Blood Pressure screening is an example of the kind of Pharmacy services that we want to bring to Kensington. Kensington hasn't really yet experienced what a modern Pharmacy can do for the neighborhood. A lot has changed in Pharmacy since even when I was child. California has led the way in changing the expectations and scope of Pharmacy Services to patient care. The East Coast has been a little behind. Pharmacists are graduating as Doctors, PharmD's and there is a new emphasis on patient care, rather than prescription counts. We are doing vaccinations, lab reviews, drug utilization reviews, and other clinical services. This blood screening is a good example. Over the 2 weeks we have screened we've seen 240 adults in the neighborhood, screened free of charge, we have been able to counsel many people who otherwise get almost no healthcare reviews . This is a working class community with many uninsured working people and elderly. Many of them were surprised at their blood pressure. A normal blood pressure should be about 110 over 60. We are seeing a lot of people in their 40's with pressure at around 150 over 90, and with high pulses, 80 plus. These patients need to watch their pressure and we have referred them to local physicians. It is important to remember that any Blood Pressure reading is just a single snapshot, and that genuine hypertension needs to be evaluated over months by your physician. But even today, people are still under-estimating the risks involved, especially when combined with weight control and "pre-diabetes". Diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and monitoring of blood pressure and blood sugar are the keys to achieving a healthy life.

Pharmacist Ruben Safir working with patients at the Blood Pressure Screening Event in Kensington Pharmacy

BL: What have you come to know about the Kensington Neighborhood and how does that affect your services?

Ruben: Kensington is one of the truly great neighborhoods of Brooklyn. If New York City is the great experiment of freedom and ethnic tolerance, the mosaic of civilization, Kensington is the positive results of that experiment in full bloom. It is one of the most diverse communities in Brooklyn, and none of the groups really lose their identity in the mix. To the east is perhaps the largest Bengali communities in the US, with active Islamic Mosques on McDonald Avenue and Bengali food and services. To the north is a growing hipster community along with Irish Catholic community that spreads south from Windsor Terrace. There is a large number of Russian, Turkish, Albanian, Polish and other Eastern European groups in the buildings to the south, and along the immediate side streets. In addition a large Hispanic and Mexican community is spread throughout the area. To the south is a well established Orthodox Jewish community which has spread from nearby Boro Park and Midwood, anchored by Shaare HaTorah on Ocean Parkway and with a number of small synagogues dotted through the private housing from Beverly Road, Avenue C and onward. That gives Church Avenue one of the most diverse populations of shoppers in the city. It also makes it a challenge to service.

BL: How does this ethnic diversity make it harder for the Pharmacy?

Ruben: Pharmacy is a very personal business and most pharmacies in Brooklyn focus on specific ethnic populations to cater to. This is the nature of people and New York and even the chain drug stores have figured this out. The Walgreens Pharmacy on Avenue J has used Hebrew in their signage and has changed hours to accommodate the Orthodox Jewish Community in that section of Flatbush. Russian Pharmacies have sprung up all over Brooklyn including our competition down the block. When I worked in Greenpoint, we had a Polish pharmacy with polish goods and polish speaking people through out the store. Boro Park has Jewish pharmacies with a full supply of Kosher items and resources. In a community that is this diverse, and trying to be full service, it is a challenge to cater to all these groups. You never want to make anyone feel unwanted.

BL: So, what is your approach?

Ruben: First of all, we support all the communities in the neighborhood and I'm very happy that we have serviced with great satisfaction all these groups. There are a number of Pharmacies in the immediate area that specialize in catering to the Bengali community, and the Russian communities. We are reaching out to these communities as well. We also are reaching out to the hipsters and older working class communities here. We feel, however, that if one community which is a bit overlooked on Church Avenue, it is the Orthodox Jewish community. So we are making a special effort to get this community a home. We are proud to be the first Pharmacy in the area to stock Kosher items and Kosher vitamins. We have two Pharmacist that come from this community and we hope that over time they find a warm welcome at Kensington Pharmacy. We also have 3 Russian speaking workers, who cover a number of Eastern European languages and we will see how things go from here. The Pharmacy will likely change to closing on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays in the near future, but we are still discussing this.

BL: What insurance do you take?

Ruben: To my knowledge we take all insurances. We are awaiting our medicaid approval but we are taking in those prescriptions at our own costs. Hopefully we will be able to recoup those costs later down the road when we get medicaid approval, but regardless we are currently absorbing those costs.

BL: How do you help people afford their medication?

Ruben: First of all, we have the best prices on prescriptions in the Borough. That is an absolute. Come in and price a prescription and see for yourself. But in addition, we also have the best prices on over the counter items. We sell maintenance Over the Counter items in bulk at costs nobody can really touch. I saved one woman $50.00 last week. She was very pleased. We also have a Senior Citizen discount program and a general loyalty program. If you fill 10 prescriptions with Kensington Pharmacy, you receive a $5.00 coupon for anything in the store. We also pick up and deliver. And we have electronic prescription capabilities. We are very serious about being the best Pharmacy in Kensington, if not all of New York City.

BL: Thank you're for you time Ruben!