Welcome back to the show my fellow extraordinary Americans with today’s episode we have Leanna Schwend. 

Leanna is an entrepreneur, pharmacist education specialist, and small business owner. She’s the owner of Yellowstone Pharmacy, which is based in a small town in rural eastern Montana, Where the pharmacy promotes health and Wellness beyond the script through pharmacists’ LED clinical services, as well as carrying quality products, her store strives to empower patients with chronic conditions through to live well with education, nutrition, fitness, and access to medication.

The business culture is family centered and community-focused and is committed to offering personalized care. Diabetes education is very near and dear to her heart as she has made it her mission to encourage and show patients that they can not only survive with diabetes but also thrive. She hopes to make a global impact with the premier digital curriculum that will aid and be of service to all patients of type 2. In addition to being a small business owner, Leanna is a wife and mother of three kids. 

She’s also a symbol and hope of hope and inspiration to all those that want to support or start small business pharmacies with family and community values in opposition to Big Pharma would tend to prioritize profits over everything else and promote medicine. That merely resolves the symptoms and not the root cause of the disease. Leanna is what I would call an extreme care with an amazing vision, and I’m honored. To have her on the. Show. Leanna, are you there?  

I am. How are you?  

Hey, Leanna. It’s an honor to have you as a guest on the show. I’m actually really excited. To have. How are you doing today?  

I’m doing well. Thanks. How Are you? 

I’m doing well.  

Leanna, I know that you’re an entrepreneur. You’re a pharmacist and you’re a small business owner. Can you tell us a little bit more about your background and how you got it?  

So, my background, you know, really began when I was very young. I’m a second-generation pharmacist. So, I really grew up in my mom-and-pop shop. My parents owned the pharmacy for 37 years. You know my youngest memories in the business. I remember going to work with my parents and actually taking my stuffed animals and lining them up in the backroom and playing pharmacist and patients, you know, with me, with my little stuffed animals. 

So yeah, that was kind of always instilled in me at a young age; that community feels like seeing what they could do to help people. So yeah, that began my path. I went to pharmacy school in Montana as well, and after graduation came home to my hometown and kind of stepped into a management role. Pretty, pretty much right off the start. So yeah, that’s kind of how it all began for me.  

Wow, that’s awesome. So, Liana, regarding your farmers, your pharmacy journey, and your career overall? Like what is your strategic goal and vision for your company? And also, for your career Over this entire period that you did that, that you did all of this.  

Yeah, you know. I just really want to take the trajectory of my pharmacy on a new path of just overall health and Wellness, truly beyond the script that incorporates more personalized care, more individualized care. You know, getting to the root causes of Things and offering Quality services as well as products of course. And just to be able to instill the hope and the joy that comes along with you know, people who often have to live with chronic conditions. Just that overall sense of well-being.  

I see. So yeah, that is amazing because you have a vision to take care and serve uh people that are actually sick and they want to get better. And one of the things that I wanted to know, and I’m really curious about this is Because you’re a family person, you’re a wife and you’re the mother of three kids, and you’re also doing a business simultaneously. Most people are not able to juggle both of those at the same time. Do you manage to do that?  

Yeah, as you know, I am so lucky. That was a big fear of mine, you know before taking over the pharmacy was how was I going to juggle all this? And it just comes down to sometimes it does take a village. I am very fortunate. You know, my husband and both of our parents are here in town. And so, our kids grew up with their grandparents. 

And even more than that, we have just the best support system of friends. You know, some of them, we went to high school with some new and just extraordinary people. You know, even coworkers that just support us and everything from drop off to pick up. 

You know it is a juggling act for sure. You know, I am responsible for most of that. My husband works about 35 miles away, so he’s gone before the kids get up. home kind of later. So, you know that juggling is definitely a challenge at times, but I’m very well supported, and you know, sometimes I do. I just have to ask for help.  

So, it’s kind of alien to me, but as a mother, you have to raise the kids, but at the same time, you’re also somebody that’s doing business and it’s over the last 50-60 years a lot of women have had to manage a career while raising kids.

How do you advise women that want to start a business? But they already have a family, but they are afraid of failure in general or the like. What is going to happen if my business fails and all of that and I got kids to take care of?  

You know, gosh, that’s really a tough question. Just to have that vision of what you want to be locked in place and to start on a path and be able to pivot and know that your strategy to get there might change. Knowing that it is OK to take time for yourself self-care is very important. 

But yeah, that sense of do you have someone to help you with things you know? Can you Sit down and find the holes in your schedule where there actually are gaps of time where you can work on being more efficient to get things done? So that way when you’re home with family, you can really just focus and you know, turn the clock off and be present. You know, the kind of mindset has helped me. I’m still working on a lot of that. You know, it is really hard for an entrepreneur to turn things off like that. But yeah, I guess that would be a piece of my advice. And then just, you know, stay true to yourself.  

So, you know, it’s kind of like a great intersection that I just realized. It’s like you have a family tree, kids. And like, you’re also from a small town, a lot of people, they actually feel like they’re like they normally are when I’ve talked to people in Austin, TX where I grew up a lot over the last 12 years. A lot of people came from small towns all over Texas. They felt like the people over there were holding them back and also like combined with the fact that they got to raise a family, or they it makes it seems like it. Makes it tough To do business when you’re over there, but I don’t know. Like, what’s your opinion on that?  

I guess there’s probably a paradigm belief there somewhere. I guess I would say for me though. Coming home to my small town, I felt Nothing but support. You know there are things where I’ve been nervous or fearful when I want to instill change. You know, my parents did things a certain way for so long. How’s it going to look when I come in and say we’re actually going to go down this path? 

You know, I just want to ensure the success of the pharmacy is here. You know, another 37/38 years and beyond and the industry has changed so much and so, I guess you know, it just kind of depends on where you want to take things. You know, to be honest, I’ve never really had that urge to go live the city life. I’ve always just. I love to go visit. I love to experience things. I want to be a jetsetter, but it just makes coming home that much better.  

Yeah, it’s really interesting that you see that because when I’ve talked to people a lot of them came from small towns as they like I felt like I was being held back and I wanted to go to the big cities to pursue my dream or like my American dream. But over here you’re actually suggesting the opposite, that it is possible to actually pursue your dream and passions… and then there are people that can support you in, in, in small towns altogether, cause there’s like a big misconception in cities like where like they feel like you have to be in a city where to increase the number of opportunities, but what it’s showing is that it there, the opposite is also true, you know.  

Yeah, absolutely. There are so many opportunities. You know, I was just having this conversation with a friend not too long ago about how almost rural America is the American dream. I mean it is just, you know your neighbor, you know, your neighbors, grandma, and grandpa, you know, their stories. You have all these amazing relationships.

 There is a piece of truth to the opportunity. The piece I guess I would. Say you know, sometimes it is hard to grow and scale and you have to get really creative and think outside the box and be willing to come out of your comfort zone. And go network and have new experiences in those more populated bigger cities to learn, how can I grow from here? What can I do next? What’s next? Goal and there is Something to be said for learning from that situation.  

Leanna, as an immigrant, when I first came here, one of the things I had to do was study the culture. And I noticed that there were two distinct cultures. Two distinct American dreams would be playing out simultaneously. 

One was city life, in America, and one was like rural America. You know, like different people. Some people had this idea of, like, the white picket fence like, you know, like just the hills, the countryside, you have a family of kids, you grow old Together with your husband or your wife and then uh, that’s. And then it’s just a calm Feedback life. 

And then there are the other people that told me that. Oh, their idea was to have the celebrity lifestyle, like Los Angeles, New York, be super rich and just have all these fancy Cars and have these big mansions and all that, and it’s just these two great contrasts. What I noticed over a period of time and the whole thing is that it’s the American dream, but I don’t know what’s your perspective on this entire thing altogether.  

Yeah, I mean again It comes down to the individual, but you know, in a way it all can be true. You know, why can’t you have both? You know, why can’t you have all the experiences, and you know just Choose the life that you want? We are in a place where you can do that, and I think that’s the beauty of it all.  

Yeah, I truly agree. It’s just, like, interesting. when I came here and I was just trying to understand more about American culture, how there are, like, these two completely different worlds. And they’re just somehow simultaneously coexisting with each other. 

And there are these Junction points And you have these two Roads and then they lead to these two different American dreams, one with one American dream being like the house with the kids, the family, and just basically the hills, the mountains, the lake, perhaps see a beach or something. And then there’s the other side, which is all about the glamor and glitz. Like kind of like the Las Vegas Los Angeles style. So, it’s a very interesting contrast and I found I’ve just, I was deeply fascinated by that.

And, you know, it might even Be that the American dream persona changes at different phases in one’s life, too, you know. To be able to have different experiences and to grow and for me, mine is definitely probably a little bit slower to where I can get out and travel and experience those faster things. 

We actually had some friends visiting not long ago, and it was so funny. We were out late, and we were having Dinner and enjoying company and music. And he said to me, oh gosh, it’s so great to be here. I really needed to slow down. And I was like, man, this is Kind of a root beer night for us over here. Like, I’m tired of going to bed, but yeah, it is everyone’s, you know, perception of that is different.  

It’s really interesting, but Leanna on a different note. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned while you were running your pharmacy and just like overall in your career?  

Yeah, you just know Especially in the pharmacy industry, you have to be resilient, you have to be able to pivot and you have to be able to pivot quickly. You know, there are just a lot of barriers in the healthcare industry at times. And so, I guess that would be, you know, one of the things that come. Come to mind.  

I see. Yeah, it’s just really interesting, right? Cause as you have these you have this a lot of people when they think of pharmacy they think of like the big pharma in New York or something like that. But like, what does it look like in a rural town altogether? What is your worldview? How that looks in general.  

So, there are definitely different areas of pharmacy, especially in retail. You know the big box chains that have grocery stores, the retail, the areas where pharmacists and those settings can sometimes reach burnout really quickly. They have corporations telling them that they have to meet certain benchmarks and things like that. Almost a machine as you know. 

And I have a lot of respect for pharmacists in that area because they’re working hard and there, you know. Having to keep patients safe while doing all of that, pumping out, I don’t even know how many prescriptions a day and you know in our independent setting it is more. Patient-centric, I guess I would say, uh, you know we have full front-end gifts over the counter Blood pressure monitoring clinical services, you know as well as the more traditional prescription dispensing.

But you know it’s just the way that the industry is right now. It is very tough for independent pharmacies. It’s almost like a monopoly. I feel with the way that the system is set up and you know I used to kind of say, gosh, it is. It’s going to be hard for independent pharmacies to make it. It’s, you know, we’re it. We’re in the fight of our life. And that is True.

But at the same time, I am so impressed with independent pharmacies right now because we are still here, and we still are making the pivots. We are still finding ways to help patients and we are finding ways to go above and beyond. Not just survive, but try to thrive in this system that we’re in. And you know it. We’re banding together. We’re trying to make legislation happen. I get an optimistic feeling about it. I Don’t Think we’re going to go anywhere.  

Leanna, I have great admiration and respect for you in this regard because you know, right now, what I see on a national level like it’s just not in the pharmacist industry, but it’s just like in general like there’s like a big battle between small independent businesses, what you call the mom and pop shops, and the big retail businesses or the big pharma all together and these big businesses are Just like monopolizing everything, as you said and they’re just like taking over, but you see America and the entire notion of the American economy is based on small, independent businesses, right

But what from your perspective, like what has been the situation like in general of like as a like what is your perspective on the small? Independent business order knowing the situation.  

Yeah, you know, at times, since it’s definitely very scary, you know, you know, things due to inflation and, you know cost of goods where you’re smaller, what’s available to you versus you know, the big box stores where I’m at, it’s very rural, but it is not uncommon. 

You know the nearest pharmacy is 45 miles away. The next box chain is not uncommon for patients, to have access to a lower copay prescription to want to drive there to get that, and while they’re there, they’ll get their groceries while they’re there. They’ll shop for clothes, so that is something that we have to contend with. 

But at the same time there, there is a lot of loyalty in small-town America. There is a lot of loyalty to small businesses and again another great community feels where you can just band together. And you know. What does our community not have that we need to bring in? You know, how can we better serve our people and our patients to make it so that they don’t have to travel, or they don’t want to travel, and you know just how can we be better and band together to do that? 

No, Leanna uh, that’s something that I noticed. Right, like a lot of times, like whenever. You see The news and the media like they’re always looking at these big businesses like Apple, Apple or Tesla, and stuff like that. And like everybody glamorizes and thinks of that as the coolest thing ever. But what makes America run is actually small, independent businesses, and most of them are in rural America altogether, right? 

Everybody keeps focusing on the big companies altogether, but this is what’s making most of America run as the economy runs based on that and it’s something that I find. Are deeply interesting, you know.  

Yeah, definitely.  

Because I Think firstly what would make the economy run better is actually promoting small business owners and actually giving them the resources to make their businesses function versus going to like these big mega businesses that just like prioritize profits.

And then In the pharmacy in the pharmacy industry, at least from the people that I talked with like they’re basically focused on giving you pills that more like focus on the symptoms. Rather than curing the disease because that’s more profitable, but I don’t know what’s. What’s your thought on that entire thing? Because you might know that.  

Better than I do. Yeah, no, I. Think that is definitely a perception. You know, in my world, the actual act of dispensing medications and the way that the system is set up. The reimbursements just go down and down and down and there are actually clawback fees now that are imposed on pharmacies. You know, that’s just where it comes from. I think one of the biggest differences is in the services offered. You know, the things that are beyond the script right then.  

Can you tell the audience, limber, and more about what the script is because most of us are not in the pharmacy or the medical industry?  

So literally a prescription or medicine, you know, coming in for, you know, we’re more than a destination. Of just a place to pick up medication, we want to educate you. We want to offer things like a DNA test where we can learn how your body metabolizes medications and what is the best fit for you.

Can we actually describe for use or you’re not on so many medications? Diabetes education. You know, pharmacies are doing immunizations now, just so many things. We’re the most easily accessible healthcare workers. You know, you can come at any time, no appointment necessary. And we’re really kind of a missing link in the system. You know, we can communicate with your doctor. We can communicate with your insurance Company. So yeah, I. Think it just is a great one-stop. Where you can really benefit. With your health, for sure, yeah.  

Yeah, that’s uh, that’s actually pretty interesting that you say that. Yeah, I think that we definitely have to have more. We have to definitely think about pharmacies and on a smaller independent business level because I don’t know like for me personally, I see CVS and Walgreens everywhere and I’m like, are these the only two types of pharmacies around at least like when I’m in Austin, TX, or like if I’m like in a city in Florida or Something like that. So yeah. 

Right.  

So, Leanna, on a different note, what are some of the biggest challenges you could face while you were running your pharmacy store?  

So, you know, I think I’m still in the middle of quite a few of those challenges. I just went to the pharmacy. I’m coming up on a year here, in January. Will be a year, so you know the whole transition. The period of purchasing a pharmacy is very difficult when you’re having to transfer contracting and licensing numbers and just all that trying to make that fluid. 

So, the actual purchasing process was very difficult. You know, when do you turn on all your new numbers? Versus working under a power of attorney and making sure all the contracts are there so that your patients all of a sudden are not being served because you lost something. And so that was a headache for a while during that process. And now just really trying to put the pharmacy on a path you know let’s load that pipeline for success. You know, basically trying to do that without fear, without disruption, and in your services and continuing to be there for your patients.  

That is awesome, Leanna. 

Leanna, tell me this if there’s somebody like us who wants to start a pharmacy business, right? But like, they’re afraid of starting because they’re afraid of some companies like CVS or Walgreens. And they’re like, how am I going to, like, compete with all of these people? And what’s the point? And they have this fear of failure. What would you advise such a person on how to go about starting? A business in this field. 

You know, for a new startup, you just definitely have to do your research and figure out what kind of niche can you provide there are other areas like durable medical equipment, there’s a compounding pharmacy, there are so many areas you can go or direction you can go, but it does need to be thought out and surveyed and analyzed to make sure that you, you can make it.

And then obviously to be able to. Be a place of premier care as far as the quality of who you are, how you treat others, that sort of thing, of course. But yeah, I would say just really doing your research on the area of where you’re trying to go in.  

Yeah, I’m glad you really saying that Leanna, because a lot of people like they want to start businesses at least feel that they’re passionate about, but they’re always afraid of the big businesses and like, it’s already hard to start a business on your own and like and especially for people that have families, it’s even harder. But on top of that We have to think about how big businesses are going to have to compete with them. What is the thing that I can do differently if it puts Fear in a lot of people? No, you have no idea, but you’re inspiring a lot of people just by doing the business the way You’re doing, you know.  

Thank you.  

Yeah. So, Leanna, on a different note. You know, over the last several years in America, there’s been a deterioration not just in the government, but also in the family unit and also in the financial sector as well. What are your thoughts? what are your thoughts regarding America’s future? Do you think we should be optimistic about this?  

Yeah, you know, I Do think we should be optimistic about it. I think if there’s hope anywhere, it’s here. You know, I think. That it all comes down to communities and support of one another and just going back to kindness. And you know, listening with an open heart, but. You know, I Think I’m very optimistic.  

No, Leanna. I mean, I’m glad that you say that because a lot of people like they actually want to go back to that feeling of family and community, but especially for people like who are in the big cities like they, they’re so busy with their work or whatever like they have lost that connection. I feel like technology altogether has created a sort of isolation. Ironically, we’ve become more connected with people, but we are also becoming more isolated.

And I felt the heart of America is. More in family values and community. Values and like. Knowing who your community is and who your neighbors are and all. That and I feel. That seems to be missing. Over the past several years. What are yours? What are Your thoughts on this? 

I do think that that’s probably very true. You know. It’s nothing that will ever replace face-to-face. You know, I’m glad we’re able to get back to that, but yeah, you know, I think that the heart of all things does come to relationships and community, and you know, hopefully, we can just get back to a good place in all of them.  

I mean, Leon, that’s why I wanted to interview you. I was, like, pretty excited about interviewing because, like, you have a different aspect of a different way. I’ve known you and you have a different way of going about business, right? unlike the big businesses that are all of profit-oriented like oh It’s all about the numbers and everything. 

You have a different feel and you’re doing your business. It’s more about Community and family values and all of that, and I feel that seems, so I’ve been missing. In America on A national level.  

Yeah, yeah. You know, I think that’s just. How you create loyalty, it’s how you create support, and you know it’s just. Yeah, I think it’s the Root of all things.  

So, Leanna, I know that you have a curriculum for diabetes, and would like to educate people about diabetes. Can you tell us a little bit more about this education and the premise of what you started on this?  

Yeah. So, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was 25. I won’t tell you how long ago that was. I’m not going to give my age away, but that just really started.  

I’m going to judge you with that.  

Oh man, you know, I just that really, you know, it really changed my life, you know, 25 just about to graduate pharmacy school. And I was just blindsided by this diagnosis. I had all the signs and symptoms. But I was in denial. I thought, oh, I’m just really stressed. This can’t be. 

And I was actually at home doing a community pharmacy rotation in my pharmacy and thought, oh, I’m just going to check my own blood sugar, which it doesn’t do, by the way, you can’t diagnose yourself. You need to go to the doctor. But I did it anyway, and my number, I can still remember flashing on that glucometer was 311 and I thought, oh, and I called my hometown doc and said I need to get in. I think I have diabetes. And you know, I think they thought I was panicking a little bit and like, all right, well, the next openings in two weeks. 

And so, I hung up the phone and completely panicked and called back and said no. Like, I think I have diabetes. And bless my hometown doc, he said, come in on My lunch break, you know? So, I ran over the labs, and it confirmed it, you know, type one diabetes and I went back to the pharmacy and my parents were there doing a big project in the basement of the pharmacy. And I just, I gave them the news and we all just started crying.

And from that time of seeing My blood sugar to the news to reality, I went through fear and worry, and resentment. You know, how could my own body betray me like this? And when I left the doctor, you know, I had all this new medication. I was going to have to start all these new supplies and a referral for this thing called diabetes education and all these emotions you know about getting married. Will my husband still want me? 

What does this mean for our future? Can I have children? Will my children have diabetes? Will there be complications? You know, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Steel Magnolias. Great movie if you haven’t seen it, but you know it’s about someone with diabetes. That’s the thing that came to my mind is, you know, just all these terrible things.

And I thought I had the knowledge, I knew anatomy, Physiology, and medications and I wasn’t even going to go to this diabetes educator. But I’m a rule follower, so I went and, you know, came out of that appointment which didn’t happen right away. But I came out of that appointment. I Meant knowing that I didn’t know everything, and I finally realized what diabetes education is and how to live well with diabetes. It’s all the practical stuff. It’s all the skills and the tools and the foundation to not just survive with diabetes but to thrive. 

And so that was really the kickstart for me to figure out how to get an accredited program in my pharmacy to be able to teach as well. And you know, since then I’ve just run into so many barriers and. It’s one of the best underutilized pieces of our healthcare system. And so yeah, you know, I hope to be able to make a bigger impact in that area for others who go through those emotions, you know that that was just my day, one of living with diabetes and it’s hard and people need to feel supported. And so that’s just A big passion of mine.  

That is, that is amazing, sometimes, terrible things happen to us. And at that moment, it seems like there’s a lot of darkness. But overall, as I like, I’m of the belief that sometimes God wants us to help other people and they want us to feel compassion for those people in that particular field. 

So, we end up going through it. And look right now you’re helping a lot of people that have diabetes and it’s amazing, you know.  

Yeah. I totally believe that as well I was having a conversation with a group and this concept of, I believe life is happening for me, not to me, Came up and you know, I truly do believe it is good in everything, and the more you look, the more you’ll find, and I am actually so much healthier living with diabetes than I was prior. Because it’s a choice now to do that right you know what’s good for you, you know. What things can make it worse? And then it really is a diagnosis for the whole family. So now my whole family knows how to eat better, and knows how to Take care of themselves. And so, yeah, there’s definitely good in everything. And then the things that you can’t control just to learn, to let them go. So yeah.  

No, that is, that is. Also, I also think that yeah, we all have to eat healthy like in general, but as you know, there’s kind of like a running joke going around that like 1/3 of Americans is super obese. Or whatever it is, and they go to shopping malls, and they eat all the McDonald’s and all that. That’s just like a running joke. I don’t know how much of it is true, but yeah.  

Yeah, you know it is. You know, it’s almost like there’s a diabetes pandemic and obesity is a factor there. They’re correlated. But again, I think a lot of that comes down to education. Sometimes people can’t afford a better budget. Sometimes people are very busy and can only go through a drive-through. Sometimes they don’t have a grocery shopping budget, or they don’t have transportation to even get to their doctors.

So, what can we do to reach all these different people that are in different socioeconomic classes that have different social determinants that fell, et cetera, you know?  

So, Leanna, this is one thing that I wanted to talk about especially with you because it’s something that had a garden for the longest time, like when. There were, so if you know about health insurance, right, like how the insurance kept getting like there was a year when I was paying $138, they jumped to $200.00 a month. They jumped to like $238.00 a month.

A lot of people are paying a lot of money for health insurance, and it feels like some of the big companies that they’re Taking advantage of them financially, and I don’t know what, what are your thoughts about being somebody in the medical industry about health insurance costs is like a rising year?  

Yeah, yeah. You know, that’s just that’s definitely a trend. And it depends on the employer. It depends on the middleman negotiating those contracts. You know my husband and I saw it too. Every year the premium goes up on the Medicare side, you know the coverage gap changes. Formularies are changing. You know, I don’t know that I Have a great Answer for you other than I See those trends too? 

And again, a lot of it has to do with the lack of transparency. There’s, you know, there are people in the middle negotiating and we’re not seeing where the savings Are being passed on. And that sort of thing. That’s a big Topic for a better expert than myself, but I do know what you’re saying.  

But the reason I was bringing it up was that you were talking about diabetes and obesity and like I know, like a lot of people, they have health problems, right, and they need affordable healthcare. But one of the biggest problems is that these health insurance costs just keep rising and rising. I mean, on top of inflation, right.

So, you have inflation going On and then you have health insurance costs rising, and people have families to feed, you know. So, from your perspective, being in rural America, like, yeah, and you’re watching all of this like, what is that your perspective Overall, what’s your opinion about it?  

Yeah, you know. It’s incredibly disheartening when I have a patient come in, they have diabetes and they’re insulin-dependent and they can’t afford their insulin. It’s terrible when someone with Medicare reaches that doughnut hole. And they’re blindsided by it. They haven’t set savings aside, and now all of a sudden, they’re rationing medications. They’re going longer in between dosing or whatever to make it through. So, they don’t have that. Out-of-pocket expenses.

You know, there are people to help. There are social workers. There are assistance programs, and a lot of that comes down to knowing whom to talk to, and where to go for that kind of help. But yeah, it’s, I mean it is. It’s a big problem. There is legislation now I believe there is, for example, insulin which was hot is a hot topic, you know it is a life-saving medication. People who need it literally can’t survive without it. You know me with type one diabetes. If I will not survive without insulin. But there is insulin. Cap bills coming down the pipeline to hopefully help with some of that.

But Regardless, you know it, it is, and then as the pharmacy, right? It’s almost like people get mad at us for the cost of their medicine now, but we’re not the ones pricing it, it’s their insurance and the way that the system is set up. But you know, those are really tough conversations.  

People have to be angry at someone and I’m sorry they’re angry at you. I know for a fact myself. There was a story that came out a few years ago about the Big Pharma brew. His name was Skrillex, and there was this life-saving drug that was charged 13 1/2 dollars. But he bought this company in  New York and then he charged, like thousands of dollars, for the same thing. To make profits and they were. It created an uproar altogether and people were ****** at Big Pharma because you cannot take a lysate drug and then just like, make it unaffordable. I think the price is 7.50. He Made him increase the cost from 13.50. Dollars per pill to $750 per pill or something like that. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean it. It’s a hot topic right now, for sure.  

I mean it’s something that I would love. I would have wanted to talk with you for hours and hours because you’re far from your pharmaceutical industry and I wanted to see a prospect, your perspective of all things, but we don’t have that much time for this interview.  

Yeah, that, that we’ll do that though there, there’s a lot going on there.  

Yeah, I mean, but like for like the audience especially they know that their insurance costs are rising, and they want affordable healthcare. And yeah, I feel the solution is more of having small independent businesses like which are and pharmacies altogether that are more family-oriented and or based on community values because that’s at the end of the day the major takeaway, I feel from this interview. Is about family-oriented, community-oriented businesses. They have different feelings. They have more compassion, unlike big businesses that are more like their more prioritized profits, you know, and that’s like the main point that I’m trying to make over here.  

Yeah, yeah. You know, we do. We spend a lot of time. You know, when we see a high copay come across or something, you know we automatically go look for a manufacturer coupon or assistance before the patient ever even comes in the door. We’re already trying to, you know, get ahead of the situation, and find ways to help. So yeah, you know, it just comes down to those relationships, yeah.  

So, Leanna, is there any project that you’re working on right now that you’d want the audience to get a glimpse into or some work that?  

Yeah, a couple of things. You know another topic that’s really near and dear to my heart is actually in the space of opioid use, opioid prevention, and that sort of thing. 

So, I’m working on a little project, a little campaign here in Montana called Promise to protect Montana. Where we are. Have been given the grant to be able to offer a new locking cap to go along with a patient’s opioid prescription which is meant to be abuse-deterrent to prevent unintended misuse of a prescription that has abuse potential. And so that’s something that we’re really excited to be a part of, kind of get the kinks to work out of the system and see how we can get this thing into the hands of patients where it would be beneficial. It’s also great in the area of accidental poisoning if you have children in the home and things like that with the long-term goal of getting this cap covered by insurance.

So, to add value to independent pharmacies to get these caps in their hands as well. Because people trust their pharmacist and it’s probably a little bit of a new concept. And you know, there may be some resistance there, but I really believe that independent pharmacies can play a role in helping fight the opioid crisis and especially in the area of prevention. 

So, I’m really excited about that. Hopefully working on a premier digital diabetes curriculum, something that will show patients why they should invest in their health and something that will do it in a way that. That brings them hope and joy and fills the gaps in care that are out there right now and makes it accessible. So, I’m really excited to begin working on that as well.  

That is awesome. The opiate crisis is crazy. And a lot of fountains. They’re ruined because of drugs. You know, it destroys families altogether. It’s well known. So that’s what’s really awesome. So, Leanna. Where can our audience go to connect with you and get to know more about what you’re doing?

So, I’m on social media. You can follow It’s a Yellowstone pharmer… with a ph. Because I think that’s really funny. And also on LinkedIn, just under Leanna Schwinn. So yeah, happy to answer any questions.  

I want to conclude this interview by telling you that you’re an extraordinary American, and you are a symbol when it comes to small, independent businesses that are on fire and that are, fighting to survive and a lot of people, I do hope, will take inspiration from that. 

And they start their own small independent businesses because ultimately, that is the backbone of the economy and what you’re doing regarding the far with your dreams and passions about pharmacy is also pretty amazing, and you’re helping a lot of people, especially with diabetes. So, I’m really honored to interview you, and I do hope that you come back to the show at a later time.  

Thank you.  

And I want to conclude this show by telling my fellow extraordinary Americans that, hey, there’s an extraordinary American within each and every one of us. And it’s our duty to awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.