Spartanburg's ReGenesis Health Care opens first retail pharmacy on South Church Street

ReGenesis Health Care is seeing its dream come true of providing more pharmacy services to people on the south side of Spartanburg.

The Community Family Pharmacy, at 750 S. Church St., held a grand reopening on Tuesday, Oct. 10. The recently remodeled clinic pharmacy now features a larger patient lobby, a pharmacy drive-thru, and expanded services.

The reopened pharmacy is notably the south side's first retail pharmacy, able to fill prescriptions from both their in-house clinic and outside medical offices.

Customers can now pick up their prescriptions in the pharmacy lobby, in the pharmacy's new drive-thru or have their prescriptions delivered to them for free if they live in one of the surrounding neighborhoods and do not have transportation to the pharmacy.

ReGenesis Health Care President and CEO Marlon Hunter said the changes were to help fill the health care gap and meet the needs of residents.

Hunter said transportation is also available to bring patients to appointments at the clinic. The clinic's health care providers are available for anyone in the community, regardless of their ability to pay.

"With the extension of the retail component, we now have an opportunity to connect with folks that wouldn't ordinarily come here. So when we fill prescriptions, that will give us an opportunity to highlight the services we provide," Hunter said.

He estimates about a third of ReGenesis Health Care's patients use the south side clinic and pharmacy.

Willa Reeder, president of the Forest Park Neighborhood Association, served on ReGenesis Health Care Board of Directors for many years and became a patient of the south side clinic when it opened 20 years ago. Today, she and her grandchildren use the clinic and pharmacy's services.

For her, the new retail pharmacy fulfills a decades-old promise to the community. Harold Mitchell, a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and former South Carolina state representative, became concerned about the health of residents, and there were no neighborhood health care or pharmacy services. He founded ReGenesis Community Development Corporation to address environmental contamination and health disparities on the south side.

"Twenty years ago, Harold Mitchell and his team of experts talked about what could happen from the $20,000 that we got, and it's showing itself mighty now," Reeder said. "Being a part of it, I'm so glad the Lord gave me the opportunity to witness it. I heard it 20 years ago, and now today, I can talk about it."

In addition to pharmacy services, the south side office offers family and pediatric care and has four pediatricians, as well as two nurse practitioners who treat adults, on staff. The clinic features colorful murals of sea creatures and African wildlife around the children's exam rooms, created in collaboration with artists from the Chapman Cultural Center.

ReGenesis Health Care Community Family Pharmacy is open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For more information about or to request one of ReGenesis Health Care's services, visit their website, myrhc.org, or call 864-582-2411.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: ReGenesis Health Care opens first pharmacy on south side of Spartanburg