Editor鈥檚 note: This story is one in a series on Women in Cloverdale, a special series on Cloverdale businesswomen, athletes, historical figures and politicians.
Josephine Leonard and Christine Cheng make your health their priority.
When the sisters took ownership of the family business in 2014, along with their brother, Frederick Cheng, they knew that they wanted Cloverdale Pharmasave to continue being the same dedicated health centre that their parents had run for decades.
Their parents were both health professionals 鈥� Dr. Henry Cheng was a medical doctor and Anna Cheng was a radiological technologist. They joined the Pharmasave chain in 1983 and Josephine, Christine and Frederick grew up in the store, helping out after school and during holidays.
They saw their parents convert Cloverdale Pharmasave from a large format store to a health centre to allow them to focus on what they thought was most important: providing quality patient care.
This year, Cloverdale Pharmasave celebrates its 35th anniversary, and remains a true family business. Josephine works as the store鈥檚 marketing manager, Christine and Frederick are pharmacists, and Josephine鈥檚 husband, Martin Leonard, works as the general manager of the family鈥檚 Cloverdale and Steveston Pharmasave locations.
The staff are very much a part of the family as well, as the siblings have known the longtime staff members for decades. Pharmacist Christine Andrews recently retired after working at Cloverdale Pharmasave for 25 years 鈥� a few tears were shed at her retirement party, Josephine admitted 鈥� and pharmacist Lyle Sunada has worked at the health centre since 1990.
鈥業 fell in love with this industry鈥�
Josephine pursued business in university, earning a commerce degree before entering the hotel industry. She wanted to help people, and she was ambitious, too. 鈥淚 wanted to go up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t got to a point, after two promotions in six months, I wanted my boss鈥檚 job. And he wasn鈥檛 going anywhere.鈥�
She also found that she wasn鈥檛 truly able to help people, which was the reason she went into the hotel business in the first place.
She returned to Cloverdale Pharmasave. 鈥淚 thought, if I stop having fun, then it鈥檚 time to find something else to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I never left. I fell in love with this industry.鈥�
Josephine has been the marketing manager of Cloverdale Pharmasave for 18 years. She is responsible for the store鈥檚 event planning, including the Ladies Health Night event, off-site talks at nursing homes, support groups and universities, and arranging large scale events such as the Aging Gracefully trade show.
Her siblings, Christine and Frederick, also realized that the family store was where they could help people the most, said Josephine. Her brother and sister went to university and became pharmacists.
鈥淗ere, community pharmacy鈥攏ot hospital pharmacy, not big box pharmacy, but community pharmacy 鈥� is where they can truly use their strengths and their passion to make a difference,鈥� she said.
The sisters are passionate about natural health, as well as patient care. The Cloverdale health centre is dedicated to providing for a person鈥檚 whole health, and its pharmacists recommend integrating herbal and homeopathic medicine with orthodox medicine when they believe it could be to a person鈥檚 benefit.
Christine is the store鈥檚 integrative health pharmacist and veterinarian product specialist. When she first came to work for her parents, she 鈥渇ell in love with the natural health side of things,鈥� but quickly found her ability to help people was limited. 鈥淪o often people would tell me, 鈥業鈥檓 on this and this medication, can I still take these supplements?鈥� and I had to dash to the pharmacist,鈥� she said.
Christine now enjoys being able to help people directly as a pharmacist, and she still has the strong passion for natural health that inspired her to go into her field.
As Christine explains it, 鈥渁 lot of time Western orthodox medicine just helps with symptoms and the management of disease, and it doesn鈥檛 target the root cause of the disease. That鈥檚 where a more natural approach can help.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 not always an answer there either. But you鈥檙e likely to find more options there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t really just opens up what I have at my fingertips to suggest to people.鈥�
鈥淒on鈥檛 get [us] wrong,鈥� said Josephine. 鈥淲e never, ever, tell the patient not to take the doctor鈥檚 advice or to not take the prescriptions. We always fill it. But we also try to integrate and support [their treatment].鈥�
Josephine and Christine explain they turn potential customers away from natural products if it isn鈥檛 their best option.
鈥淣atural [products] can still interact and counter your medication and other herbs,鈥� said Josephine.
If you page through the of the Cloverdale Pharmasave website, you鈥檒l find letters from customers who have been turned away from the store or steered away from a product鈥� only to return later, and then submit a glowing review.
Ann McBurnie, for instance, credits Cloverdale Pharmasave with saving her injured cat. After a conversation with a pharmacist, she was told she shouldn鈥檛 buy any products that day, and that she needed take the cat to a vet immediately.
She did, and, sure enough, surgery was needed. 鈥淚 went out of there having bought nothing so this advice did not profit the pharmacy in any way,鈥� said McBurnie. Now the cat is 鈥渉ealthy thanks to Cloverdale Pharmacy鈥檚 integrity.鈥�
The testimonials, which are being collected ahead of the store鈥檚 35th anniversary celebration this September, include many such stories. The staff and owners of Cloverdale Pharmasave are well-known for their dedication to patient care above all else.
Community members are invited to come down to the store to help celebrate its 35th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 8. The event, which will support the Canadian Cancer Society, will have a silent auction, guest vendors, speakers, discounts for shoppers and more. For more information on the event, visit .
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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