Central Oregon Pharmacy & Compounding opened Jan. 4 in Redmond. Pictured, from left, are pharmacy technician Jolynda Moonz; Marli Cooper, the owners’ daughter; co-owner Shaney Cooper; son Brighton Cooper; co-owner John Cooper; and pharmacy technicians Shelly Dunn and Linda Shive.

The Cooper family wants customers at their Central Oregon Pharmacy & Compounding to feel something they don’t always get at large chains — caring.

“The one major thing that really makes us unique is that we are a small, local, custom pharmacy,” said Shaney Cooper, who owns the business at 424 NW Fifth St. with her husband, John. “Which means they get custom service, which is far from chain service.”

John Cooper has worked as a pharmacist for 38 years, the last 17 in Central Oregon. He has worked at large stores like Fred Meyer and smaller ones like Hans’ Pharmacy in Prineville. During that time, he said, drug stores have grown to where they don’t know their customers’ names.

Central Oregon Pharmacy’s mission statement pledges to make caring about the customer a priority.

“I am proud to announce as the owner of not only a new business but of opening a new way of doing business. Here at C.O.P.&C., we promise to care for you today, the good old fashioned way!” it reads.

The Coopers opened Central Oregon Pharmacy & Compounding on Jan. 4 in the location formerly occupied by the Redmond Pharmacy and Compounding Center, which closed last year amid a state investigation of alleged mislabeling and overcharging. John Cooper worked on a contract basis for that pharmacy for a year but said Central Oregon Pharmacy has no ties to the previous owner.

“It is a whole new family-operated entity,” he said.

The new pharmacy does keep compounding available for Redmond residents. John Cooper said it is the only compounding business in town, with his closest competitors in Bend.

John Cooper and the three pharmacy technicians who work for him compound two or more ingredients to mix custom prescriptions using sterilized equipment in an on-site laboratory.

The prescriptions can be made in the form of creams, nasal sprays, capsules, tablets and lozenges. Uses include hormone replacement and pain management. The pharmacy also makes them for animals.

“If something isn’t working that you can get through your pharmacist, I can get it personalized for you,” pharmacy tech Linda Shive said.

The pharmacy also has a sterile room where John Cooper would like to make intravenous prescriptions primarily for use at hospitals. But the room is not being used while he waits to see what happens with possible changes to federal regulations.

Central Oregon Pharmacy doesn’t offer commercial prescription drugs but is working to be able to, he said.

The new business also sells items not often found in a modern drug store.

It provides small buckets that kids can fill with a variety of candy for $2. It sells comic books as well as crafts like wooden pepper grinders and pens made by local artists.

It even has drawings of all the pharmacy techs wearing classic garb next to their state licenses.

“We kind of wanted to put an early 1900s feel, so we got some old-fashioned gift items,” John said.

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com