So exactly how long do people keep up the aspirations of losing weight that inevitably come with the start of each new year?

According to a study by Strava, a social fitness network, people tend to start abandoning their weight loss resolutions before January is even over. So much for “new year, new me.”

As a pharmacist, there is a way you can help your patients live healthier year-round, and give them realistic ways to manage their weight.

Your clinical knowledge and training, combined with established patient relationships, gives you a great opportunity to help your patients live overall healthier lives by implementing a weight management program at your community pharmacy.

Some benefits of starting your own weight management program include:

• Additional revenue stream for your pharmacy
• Greater diversification of services
• Opportunity to recommend products you sell in your store
• An already-established customer base: your patients!
• Gain trust from patients by focusing on their overall health and not just pushing prescriptions

A great example of a successfully grown program comes from one of our very own pharmacy leaders: Michael Muñiz.

Michael is a compounding pharmacist and nutrition expert at Muñiz Rio Grande Pharmacy in Harlingen, TX. Because of his knowledge of nutritional health and his own successful weight loss story, his patients eagerly sign up for dietary consultations for their own personalized plan.

“Clinical services are a totally different thing that allows us to use our knowledge and practice at the top of our license to get paid for a service or product. That’s huge,” Michael explains.

He believes in educating patients and building relationships that move past simply filling a prescription.

He clarifies – “My business isn’t selling pills, it’s to try and make you healthy again.”

Once his program picked up its pace, Michael began to notice another opportunity. As he would recommend certain foods and dietary changes, he would be sending his patients away to search for these items and bring their business elsewhere.

That’s when he got the idea of starting his own health food store, Krave Market.

Filled with delicious, unique foods and organized according to dietary needs, Krave is a convenient way for Michael’s patients to follow their recommended plan. The store is located only a 6 minute drive away from Muñiz Rio Grande Pharmacy or just a click away on the Krave online website.

From the initial start of the program, to the opening of the health food store, Michael Muñiz has added rewarding value to his patients’ lives and into the Rio Grande Pharmacy itself.

He has transformed his knowledge and passion for healthy eating into a successful clinical service. Think about how you can provide services like this for the patients in your own community.

Remember that being a community pharmacist means more than just pushing pills, you’re guiding people to healthier and happier lives.