William Pryor: “I rise today to acknowledge our Nation's independent community pharmacists for their diligent work, expansion of…”

“I rise today to acknowledge our Nation's independent community pharmacists for their diligent work, expansion of services, and consistent high quality service. Independent community pharmacies are a strong part of our health care delivery system and a significant part of local economies. In fact, independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains represent a $67 billion marketplace. Clearly, independent pharmacies create jobs while providing high quality services to consumers. Independent community pharmacies play a critical role in local communities, a role which has enhanced the level and quality of pharmacist-patient personal interactions and has led to high satisfaction rates from consumers. Independent pharmacies should be commended for their accessibility, immense knowledge about medications, and broad inventories of medications. These observations were validated by more than 32,000 readers surveyed by Consumer Reports, which found that 'more than 85 percent of customers at independent drugstores were very satisfied or completely satisfied with their experience.'”