Second-generation Tar Heel runs Table Rock Pharmacy
Jessi Stout’s parents opened the pharmacy in 1990 to serve the community of Morganton, North Carolina.
Richard and Shara Owensby, both UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy graduates, worked for independent and chain pharmacies before opening Table Rock Pharmacy and Compounding in 1990 in Morganton, North Carolina.
After getting her own Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Carolina, their daughter, Jessi Stout ’08 (PharmD), completed her residency in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then worked on a pharmacy software product. About 10 years later, her parents, nearing retirement, offered her the opportunity to run Table Rock Pharmacy instead. She jumped at the chance to be closer to family and work directly with patients.
Stout and her husband, Michael, have been running the pharmacy together since 2019.
“Giving back and becoming involved in your community is so important. From the first day at Table Rock, I loved it,” Jessi Stout said. “Every day you help a patient and that’s why I originally went to pharmacy school and decided to pursue this career.”
“Giving back and becoming involved in your community is so important. From the first day at Table Rock, I loved it,” Jessi Stout said. (Michael Stout; Table Rock Pharmacy)
Serving the community
Table Rock offers core services such as medication synchronization and adherence packaging, in which patients’ medications are organized into daily pill packs for convenient dispensing. This method has shown to improve patient outcomes for those with several medications.
Table Rock also offers same-day delivery for medications, provides Medicare plan consults, compounds custom medications, offers travel vaccine consults, administers long-acting injectables, prescribes birth control, offers test and treat services for influenza for psychiatric medications and provides A1C testing for diabetes.
“I had a lot of opportunities to do different types of rotations at UNC, including experiences in London and Washington D.C.,” Jessi Stout said. “All the experiences I’ve had along the way helped shape me into who I am, and they’ve helped me challenge myself in community pharmacy by looking for new opportunities at our pharmacy.”
The pharmacy offers flu shots and many other vaccines, including specialized travel immunizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they ordered and administered monoclonal antibodies to prevent and treat the virus.
“The community pharmacist is the most accessible health care provider and can provide a wide range of services and interventions most may not know are available,” said fourth-year PharmD student Addy Eddings, who completed a rotation at Table Rock.
Giving back to North Carolina
When Hurricane Helene impacted their area, Table Rock helped coordinate medicine donations for patients who lost theirs, collaborating with pharmacy owners across the state to quickly get medications to residents.
In addition, Table Rock donated medications like EpiPens and insulin to Hickory’s Operation Streamline, which transported them by helicopter around the state.
Student experiences
Table Rock partners with the pharmacy school for students to participate in rotations at the pharmacy.
“I love when we get students. Not only do they help us with various projects, but I learn from them when they question things,” said Jessi Stout. “I also enjoy teaching them all that community pharmacy is, and students have shared it really opens their eyes. We catch drug interactions, we monitor therapy, we counsel patients and do so much more – it’s important to expose them to that.”
Eddings attended one of Jessi Stout’s presentations on clinical services in community pharmacy and heard about the level of care Table Rock provides for their patients. In October, she completed a rotation at Table Rock, where she administered vaccines and reviewed immunization records with patients.
“I feel like my education at the School of Pharmacy has prepared me with both clinical knowledge and experiences that will allow me to be a well-rounded pharmacist in a variety of settings. At Table Rock Pharmacy, I was able to use many of these skills when educating and counseling patients,” said Eddings. “I love to learn and to serve my community, and I am grateful to have found a profession that is constantly providing opportunities for me to do both at the same time.”
