Twenty-six years ago,
Anita Martinez had a college
degree in hand and
was ready to conquer the
world. Fresh out of the
University of Texas at
Austin, Martinez was
eager to use the education she
acquired at the pharmacy school and
be of service to the community. She
landed her first job as a pharmacist
at the H-E-B on Zarzamora and
Military, which was converted to the
city’s first H-E-B plus!, and began filling
prescriptions for customers. Little
did she know then that H-E-B was the
perfect place that would allow her to
really make a difference in the community. “I love what I do. Many of
H-E-B’s programs are visionary, and
the services we offer are not typically
done by a retail pharmacy. We are
out there [in the community], and
we’re doing it for the right reasons.
We do it because we want to improve
patient care,” Martinez said.
As the Senior Manager for H-E-B’s
Healthy Outcomes program,
Martinez plans, coordinates and
implements initiatives aimed at not
only improving patient care, but also
closing the gap in access to health
care. In the late ‘90s, H-E-B started
an immunization program where its
customers could come to the store
and get their flu shots. This was the
first time H-E-B enlisted their pharmacists
in other ways than in dispensing
a prescription. Martinez was one
of the first pharmacists to
be involved with the program in
San Antonio. “Because we were
knowledgeable and could help with
customer patient care, H-E-B really
went out there and looked to see
how else [pharmacists] could best be
utilized. Not many companies will do
that. There was always a shortage in
pharmacists, but H-E-B was dedicated
to improving the health and wellness
of its customers because it was the
right thing to do. It was a very bold
move,” Martinez added. Today, with
the assistance of health care partners,
H-E-B also provides blood pressure
and cholesterol screenings, diabetes
counseling and medication compliance
with on-site consultations with a
pharmacist. “Customers really like
this type of interaction,” Martinez
said. This activity is essential because
she finds that many people do not
understand the difference between
good and bad cholesterol, and many
times, people who do go to the doctor
get their numbers and do not
have a clear understanding of the
values. “They often walk away with ‘the tests came out good’ but they
do not understand how far away they
are from a truly healthy target and
how to reach that goal. When they
talk to us, we give them a greater
understanding of tying all that information
together,” she said.
As the San Antonio City Goes Red
Sponsor, H-E-B recognizes the shared
core values and goals of educating
women about the high risk of heart
disease and stroke. “Women tend to
think of everyone before they think
of themselves, and we want to make
it easy for them to keep their heart
health top-of-mind,” Martinez said.
As a grocery store with a pharmacy,
H-E-B found ways to tie in a dietary
component into their patient care
efforts. In addition to providing
health screenings, H-E-B also provides
customers with cooking demonstrations
and heart-healthy recipes to
show customers alternative ways of
preparing meals. “It’s a myth that
foods low in fat, sodium and calories
have to taste bad. We give you examples
of dishes that taste good and
are also healthy for you,” Martinez
added.
With a constant national shortage,
Martinez and other pharmacists are
always being wooed by other potential
employers, but she stays with
H-E-B because of its commitment
and willingness to make a difference
in the community. “This is the reason
why I’ve been here for 26 years. I
truly understand the health impact.
Thousands of people die each year
because they didn’t get a flu shot or
because they didn’t take their medication
properly or understand what
all the numbers mean. If I can personally
contribute and save one or
two individuals from serious illness
or death, then that’s very meaningful
to me,” she said.
