Inspectors came to Staunton pharmacies. Owners told us what happened.

All the details in our Health Safety stories come from publicly available Final Orders, Consent Orders, Orders of Suspension and other documents from the Virginia Department of Health Professionals. For more information, see the Editor’s note below the story.

STAUNTON – Mel Anderson purchased Fishersville Family Pharmacy in 2020. During the renovation, he needed to upgrade an alarm system running on 3G. Networks were upgrading to 4G, and the device would soon stop working.

“If we did get robbed, which we have been robbed at that location, and your alarm doesn't work, then you can be in a lot of trouble,” Anderson said.

The alarm upgrade moved the electronics box. The board requires all pharmacy renovations be reported, including this one.

“[It’s] a shame that that, they decided to go ahead and write a fine for it, but, hey, it is what it is,” Anderson said. The business paid the $250 fine.

In 2022 and 2023, inspectors visited several pharmacies in Staunton. One arrived at Honest Rx on Oct. 2, meeting with owner and pharmacist Matt Garner.

This was not Garner’s first inspection — another occurred years before. The previous inspector did not find any deficiencies but did have a suggestion, adding his wife to the list of people that could call off a police response if the alarm system is tripped.

“If [police] couldn't get a hold of me, where would the next [call] go to?” Garner explained. “They told us, it could be your wife, your wife's going to be employed here. … The next inspector said, ‘No, you're not allowed to do that.’”

The inspector’s report found one deficiency — someone unauthorized had access to the alarms or a locking device in the prescription department. He could either appeal, and take time off to travel, or pay the $1,000 penalty.

“We didn't even bother to challenge it,” Garner said. Honest Rx submitted payment and documentation, and the Virginia Board of Pharmacy closed the case by Nov. 16.

Garner compared asking the board questions about regulations to calling the IRS, saying it can be “difficult” for a pharmacy to not get cited for something unrelated during a visit.

Despite this, Garner voiced support for the board, and Do No Harm for covering its decisions.

“It's important for the public to know that the board is there to protect them,” Garner said. He continued, “They've got a really difficult job. Pharmacy owners have a really difficult job in trying to work within the multiple systems that they're responsible for.”

Anderson pointed to the effect of chain pharmacies on the board inspectors, the market, and pharmacy staff, “The squeeze is on, and the only way these chains know how to deal with it is to cut help. Then you burn people out.” He lamented the talent that’s left the business because of burnout.

The Staunton Walgreens was inspected in June. The inspector cited it for not having a pharmacist in charge or not having one be “fully engaged in practice” at the location, two inventory issues, and the alarm system not being able to notify staff if there was a breach. The result was $3,000 in fines, which were paid by Nov. 14. Staff declined to comment for this story.

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To file a formal complaint against a health professional, click here. For links to the public information informing this story, see below.

Want to know if your doctors, other medical professionals or local pharmacies have been investigated? Check out the license lookup.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When citizens are a danger to the public safety, law enforcement arrests them and charges them with crimes; they have the opportunity to face a jury of their peers; if convicted, they serve time and/or probation that can often ensnare them in the system for years.

When a medical professional is an alleged danger to the public safety, the Virginia Department of Health Professionals handles all facets of the inquiry, including the investigation and penalties. And sometimes, even when a medical professional is found liable of doing harm to patients, they may face a reprimand, pay a fine and continue to practice, without missing a day of work and with little chance for the public to see what they’ve done.

The Health Safety stories in this series tell the facts of cases where medical professionals endanger our public health safety. They also bring you into the world of the medical board’s consent orders and public final orders, so you can see exactly how the VDHP’s self-policing system works.

Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.