The Personal Touch

The past two years have been difficult for everyone dealing with COVID-19. From those who contracted the virus to others making decisions about vaccinations and boosters, the pandemic has remained at the forefront of everyone’s minds. 

Whom you choose for your pharmacy needs has proven to be an important piece of that puzzle, and Blake Torres, owner of West Side Pharmacy, says he and his team have met the challenge.

“Our team has done a tremendous job understanding that if we were going to lead our community through this pandemic, we would have to be on the front lines, educating ourselves and serving as the experts related to COVID-19,” he said.

Torres, 33, is the owner and lead pharmacist at West Side Pharmacy, which has been serving Benton and Saline County for more than 60 years. 

With roughly 24 employees on staff, Torres says the continuous flow of changing information has proven to be a key obstacle since the beginning of the pandemic. However, some of that was expected, with a continuously evolving medical situation.

“We had to become more adaptable, as it seemed like every day something was changing,” he said. “Science, at its best, changes as we gain more data, and striking the balance for that reality as we were communicating to our community was sometimes difficult.”

And it was that community’s relying on Torres and his team’s professionalism, knowledge, and service that helped keep the West Side team focused through some of the pandemic’s most difficult times.

“We were doing something that was bigger than us, bigger than any one single person who works at West Side,” he said. “Remembering that helped us maintain a consistent sense of joy that came from helping members of our community.”

Beyond the offerings tied to the pandemic, West Side’s services extend into three key patient categories: advanced care, synchronization, and general care.

“For the advanced care patient, we run their medications through our robot, packaging their prescriptions in individual cells for morning, afternoon and evenings,” he said. “Our synchronization patients get prescriptions filled on the same day of each month, and our general patients are more relaxed with their needs and refill timing.

“Once our day starts, it’s like we’re on the treadmill running,” he added. “We’re taking doctors’ calls, patients’ calls, insurance calls, and it doesn’t stop from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

It can be a frantic daily pace, but Torres says one of the ways his team powers through is by finding true joy in helping and treating their patients like family.

“There are other places where you might get lost in the shuffle, but at West Side, you are a part of our community, a part of our family. It’s our job to provide the best care possible with a personal approach.”

A strong sense of family is not new to Torres. He says it was how he was raised and how he wanted to live as a husband and father. “I was raised in a household that lived by the motto Familia est omnia, which translates to ‘Family is everything,’ and I decided that I wanted to be home with my kids.”

“I was pre-med at Arkansas Tech with the goal of becoming an ER doctor,” he added. “At about 22, I decided med school wasn’t going to work because I wouldn’t be home as much as I wanted. Serving as a pharmacist is the next best thing because I’m able to serve patients while also being able to provide the home life I wanted and not worry about missing soccer games or dance recitals.”

Married to his high school sweetheart, Charlotte, and father to twin boys, Charlie and Cooper, Torres is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys lake life, along with deer and duck hunting. He also attributes much of his and his family’s success to their faith.

“I have a very Christ-centered focus in my life and in my family,” he said. “We fall short every day and certainly need God‘s grace, but we do live our lives keeping Him at the center of everything we do.”

As for future plans, Torres and West Side are getting ready to launch a comprehensive care component through the pharmacy. “The intent there is to morph West Side into a healthcare hub where we will have nurses, physicians, and dietitians available for even better service to our patients.”

When asked what we all can do to prep for a better 2022, Torres said, “This year will continue to be filled with adversity as COVID-19 hopefully transitions from a pandemic to an endemic. Therefore, soak in each day to make the best of it, not trying to change the world overnight, but just to make it a little better than yesterday. 

“A few more greens, an extra lap at the gym, an added minute of meditation, each small improvement will lead to a happier, healthier you come December 2022.”

West Side Pharmacy is located at 620 W South Street in Benton. For more information, visit www.westsidepharmacybenton.com or call 501.778.3151.