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Gerard Acampora: Support for the Community

As owner and lead pharmacist at the family-owned, independent North Haven Pharmacy, Gerard Acampora learned how to support his community from his father.

“Many, many times on his way home from work he would deliver medicine to a family, or if someone couldn’t afford a medication, he said, ‘No worries, take your medicine. Pay me when you can.’ I saw that in my father, and it’s continued with me,” Gerard says.

That sense of compassion is one of the most critical responsibilities for a pharmacist such as Gerard to have, along with being a resourceful, friendly listener who can help navigate individuals through what can be the dizzying and intimidating world of prescription drugs.

“[It’s] making the time to speak to people. You establish a relationship with a patient over time. A lot of people that have come here from other pharmacies, they’ll say, ‘Jeez, I’ve been here for just a few days and I’ve spoken to you as my pharmacist more than I’ve spoken to the pharmacist at other pharmacies in the five years I've been going there,” Gerard says. “Because we’re able to have two pharmacists on, it opens us up to have a little more time to speak with our patients, see what their concerns are, and what issues they’re having.”

Gerard’s work at the pharmacy began before he formally earned a degree in the medical field, after his father, Pasquale Acampora, opened the family business in 1964.

“I worked here when I was in high school. I enjoyed the medical aspect of it and the patient contact part of it. I enjoyed that quite a bit,” says Gerard, who earned his degree from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 1978.

Gerard and his brother Lawrence purchased the pharmacy from their father in 1986 and continued on with its family-owned and independent standing in town.

Since then, the establishment has very much remained a family affair. Gerard’s daughter, Lisa C. Awugah, works as a pharmacist as well as his two brothers, including Paul, a technician; his wife, Kathleen; and his daughter, Stephanie. His grandson has also started to work there as well.

In order to be a successful pharmacist, there are the necessary abilities, along with having compassion, that one must have to go far in the field, all of which amount to knowledge of both the customers and the medicine they are prescribed.

“The strengths are good communication, science, and analysis skills. Skills to be able to prioritize what needs to be done sooner rather than later,” Gerard says. “I think that to interact with patients was a big part of it for me.”

The family pharmacy has certainly evolved since its establishment, as characterized by a sepia photograph of the interior in its earliest days showing patrons sitting at a counter with a soda fountain. But the operations and delivery of medications have shifted in function as well.

“It’s evolved from more of a preparing, counting, and pouring, to more of a knowledge-based science for pharmacists,” Gerard says. “A lot of pharmacies back in the '60s were actually preparing the medications, whereas now it's more of an information system. We look for drug interaction, we’re checking doses all the time; we review patients’ medications. There’s something that Medicare has called 'Medication Therapy Management' where we sit down with a patient and we review all of their medications, and then we make suggestions to the doctors.”

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic had also shifted day-to-day operations at the North Haven Pharmacy, but Gerard still saw how the business could continue to be present in town and helpful to those needing medication and treatment during the more intense period of the virus.

“People weren’t coming into the pharmacy as much, but we stayed open. We actually had people come into the pharmacy, and we had the spacers. We still have the plexiglass shield up. It didn’t adversely affect our business as it did for many other businesses because it’s essential. We were able to get vaccinated earlier. Now that we’re into the vaccines for COVID, that’s been a big plus. We do a tremendous amount of vaccines.”

Partly because of the pandemic, Gerard has seen his role as a pharmacist escalate in its importance over time, and the recognition of his establishment as well.

“We’ve got people coming in from other towns because we make it a point to have all the different COVID vaccines. Not just the adult ones but the ones for pediatrics. We’ve got a lot of families coming in; they like the way they’re able to speak with the pharmacists.”

Gerard’s supporting presence in North Haven for everyone, from children to seniors, goes beyond just providing services at the family business. His greatest joy in being a pharmacist is seeing “the little things” that reveal to him the thankless impact of his pharmacy and his personal guidance to customers, all on a personal level.

“A young lady gave us a little photo after she got her first vaccine. Or, if I happen to go to a wake, [I see] how truly grateful people are for the care that we’ve given a loved one. We do some house calls and people are so appreciative of that,” he says. “If people can’t get here for a vaccine, I will make it a point to get to their home. I do maybe one house call a week for a vaccine.”

After nearly six decades of establishing that trust and support for the North Haven community, it’s the referrals and the close customer service to which Gerard credits the longevity of the family businesses, staying independent and reliable amongst the bigger pharmaceutical chains such as Walgreens or CVS.

“We've noticed as people have been coming from the chains, people are more interested in the time that they are able to spend with their pharmacist here, and many patients are unhappy at the chains right now. That’s what makes us stand out. I think the pendulum has switched.”