Naples pharmacy creating, donating hand sanitizer

We’re continuing to showcase Gulfshore Strong businesses finding new purpose during these tougher times.

Just off Tamiami Trail in Naples, the Clinical Compound Pharmacy is now using their lab to combat sanitizer shortages.

“We’re so excited because this is such a resource that people need right now and they can’t get,” said Lauren Aller, Clinical Compound Pharmacy VP of operations.

As pharmacist Norman Ruiz-Castaneda grabs a beaker and brings it back to his work station, he’s helping fill our community’s needs by filling bottles with hand sanitizer.

“To be able to serve the community, really we’re providing a lot in a situation where people can’t get the sanitizer it’s unavailable in a lot of places,” he said. “The hand sanitizer that I make is FDA approved. The ratio that we get it is at 75%, which is above the minimum 60% that most Purels are at, so it’s a higher concentration.”

And he made it himself in the pharmacy’s lab.

“In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the FDA is allowing compound pharmacies like ourselves to make an improved formula of hand sanitizer,” he said.

Aller says this also allows the pharmacy to give back by donating sanitizer to the first responders and mail carriers delivering medications to their patients.

“In a scary time, it really brings us a lot of joy to be able to help the people that serve us every day,” she said, and provide protection against the coronavirus to the community.

“We ask them to call the pharmacy, we’ll place their order over the phone and then we’ll basically do like a restaurant, we’ll do a curbside delivery,” Aller said. “So they can pull up and then one of our staff can come out gloved and masked, so that way we’re doing our part to reduce exposure and we’ll deliver right to your car.”

“And it’s really nice to be able to hand them something they’ve been searching for high and low and we actually made it here by hand at the pharmacy,” said Ruiz-Castaneda.

They’re using their time and skills to fill bottles with some sense of comfort in these tougher times, because we’re in this together—Gulfshore Strong.