National Pharmacist’s Day was January 12th so we wanted to get to know your local pharmacy. Wagner is home to a long-standing local pharmacy, James Drug. James Drug services the Wagner, Dante, Lake Andes, Avon, Fairfax, Geddes, Spencer and Butte, NE areas. The pharmacy also services the Good Samaritan nursing homes of Corsica, Tyndall and Scotland and services some residents at the Lake Andes Senior Living. James Drug was first opened in Wagner by Mr. Glen James in 1956. James Drug is currently owned by Dan Fiebelkorn of Gregory.

The pharmacists of James Drug are owner, Dan Fiebelkorn, Patty Deurmier and Hannah Lau. The other team membersofJamesDruginclude Stephanie Mason, pharmacy technician; Mary Gunnare, pharmacy technician; Cindy Andersh, pharmacy clerk; and Kennedy Kourt, Macee Stimpson and Madison Robertson, high school students who help after school and on weekends.

Patty Deurmier is the pharmacist in charge at James Drug. She has been a staple at the drug store working as a licensed pharmacist for the company since May of 1989, and also worked as a clerk at James Drug while in high school. Patty became a licensed pharmacist in May of 1989 and graduated from pharmacy school from South Dakota State University (SDSU).

As most of the long-term Wagner and surrounding area residents know, Patty is a pharmacist legacy. Her dad, Don Hubbard, was a pharmacist at James Drug for 47 years before retiring in 2015. Surprisingly, Don did not influence Patty’s career choice. In fact, she actually surprised him when she decided to become a pharmacist. Although, Don did not influence her career choice, he did help expose Patty to the pharmacist profession along with their family friend, Ed Staudenmier. Patty thought that being a pharmacist would be a good job that could take her anywhere.

In her role as a pharmacist, Patty most enjoys helping people. It is very satisfying to her to be able to help people understand their medication and in doing so, hopefully help them to have better health. Growing up and living in the area and the Wagner community, Patty has been able to build personal relationships with many of her customers allowing for an important level of trust to be built.

Patty and her husband, Duane, have three children: Kyle, Jason and Kayla. All of Patty’s children are married and she feels lucky to have all three of them living in Wagner. Patty and Duane also have eight grandchildren. When Patty is not busy working, she enjoys spending time and playing with her grandchildren, camping and doing anything outdoors.

James Drug is lucky to have a second pharmacist, Hannah Lau. Hannah joined the James Drug team six years ago. She graduated from SDSU in May of 2017 and by June of 2017 she was a licensed pharmacist. Hannah always knew that wanted to have a career in health care. Her cousin is a pharmacist and after spending time with him and learning more about pharmacy, she thought it would be a great career for her.

Hannah loves being able to help people, which was a huge draw for her in wanting to be a part of the health care system. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals in educating people on over-the-counter products and prescriptions. It is very rewarding for Hannah to be able to help customers maintain or improve their overall health or to even help someone overcome a cold. What Hannah has enjoyed the most about being a pharmacist in Wagner is that in being able to help so many of their customers, she has gotten to know the people of Wagner and surrounding area. Hannah enjoys her job because she is surrounded by a great team of co-workers.

Hannah is married to Chad Lau and they have been blessed with a 3-year-old son, Wyatt. When Hannah is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, playing board games and gardening.

Thank you to the wonderful pharmacists and staff at James Drug for always going the extra mile for their customers and their willingness to always help and answer any questions. Happy National Pharmacist’s Day!