By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
Have you had your shot? That question was on the minds of millions as vaccinations for COVID-19 were rolled out across the country. Today we’ll learn about a rural Kansas pharmacy which responded to the pandemic in remarkable ways.
Last week we learned about Heather Johnson, chief executive of S&S Drug, a family-owned pharmacy in Beloit. Heather and her husband Jim Johnson have three children in college and high school. Jim, an attorney in Beloit, had grown up at the nearby rural community of Randall, population 65 people. Now, that’s rural.
“We hosted Jim’s high school class reunion at our house. They had 100% attendance,” Heather said. “Of course, it was only seven people,” she said with a smile.
But serious times hit rural America when the pandemic spread in spring 2020 and stay-at-home orders were issued across the nation. “Like any small business, the pandemic had a big impact on us,” Heather said. S&S closed its doors for four months and reopened in June 2020. Even though the retail operation closed, the pharmacy still had to meet essential needs and provide prescriptions through drive-up and delivery. Continue reading “Heather Johnson, S&S Drug – Part 2”
