By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Although Gem Drugs officially changed hands in March, the new owners — Randy Mire and Lyle Bulger — were welcomed to the community Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom and other community leaders.

Bulger spends most of his time at the Gramercy location, but Mire celebrated the occasion by holding a health fair for the community.

Following the ribbon cutting, the pharmacy offered free health screenings as well as health-friendly fare such as sugar-free snoballs and cookies and other treats such as sandwiches and juice boxes.

Bags containing first-aid kits and blood sugar monitors were also handed out to attendees.

About 100 local residents took advantage of the opportunity to have a free blood screening, and Mire said some of them discovered health problems they never knew about before. Following the screenings, patients could then consult with staff members from the pharmacy about appropriate courses of action.

“I really enjoy being able to sit one-on-one with patients and play a vital role in their health and wellness education,” said Mire.

The support from the community has encouraged both Mire and Bulger to provide similar services in the future.

One of the technicians on-hand that handled the health screenings called the event the busiest one she had ever been to.

Mire’s wife, Kanoa Mire, said, “We’ll probably do it as an annual thing.”

Her husband added that they hope to be able to offer services such as diabetes and cholesterol screenings, smoking cessation counseling as well as a variety of health and wellness programs on a daily, by-appointment basis in the near future.

“I think it’s great for the parish. We recognized there was a need for services in the areas of diabetes and cholesterol education in the community,” noted Bulger. “Randy and I have been talking about doing one in Gramercy as well.”

“Things went great. I can’t emphasize enough how helpful the whole community has been,” added Mire. “I am so thankful for the opportunity I have been given to own Gem Drugs and to be able to make a difference in the community.”