Compounding services return to Juneau as SEARHC opens new pharmacy

Ellie Ruel
12 hours ago
2 min read

Mendenhall Valley location replaces Ron’s Apothecary

By Ellie Ruel

Juneau Independent

A new Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium pharmacy in the Mendenhall Mall will offer compounding services to Juneau for the first time since Ron’s Apothecary closed in 2023, occupying the same space.

“We are excited to have a new offering in the Mendenhall Valley,” said Mike Dow, SEARHC’s director of pharmacy. “That is kind of the largest area of growth for Juneau and, prior to this store, we didn't have pharmacy services in the Valley. So this offers convenience and accessibility to everybody that works, lives, and shops within that area.”

The facility operated by the Alaska Native nonprofit is an Indian Health Service (IHS) pharmacy. That means “SEARHC patients can find expanded access to medications at the new Mendenhall Valley Pharmacy, with retail products available to the general public,” according to the organization’s website.

“People that are worried about getting from work to getting to the pharmacy closer to downtown,” Dow said. “Sometimes that becomes a challenge or a barrier to getting the meds that they need, so we wanted to meet patients where they're at.”

The new pharmacy adds to the consortium’s non-compounding pharmacy at the Ethel Lund Medical Center. The new location is scheduled to begin offering non-sterile compounding services in early September, meaning it will be able to make custom medications on-site for customers.

“We have hormone therapies that we'll make in various formulations, ointments, creams, and we have capsules that are for pain management, and as well as liquids for pain management,” Dow said.

Dow said all healthcare providers will be able to request the compounding services, provided the pharmacy staff is able to make it. The pharmacy also plans to ship prescriptions to patients when needed.

He noted some of the compounded recipes will be familiar from Ron’s Apothecary.

“What was always very popular was Ron's had sort of a diaper cream that was a hot seller,” Dow said. “And that one will be available through a prescription with some regulatory changes that happened, but that one we expect to sell like hotcakes.”

• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com.