A New Mexico institution offers chilli and patient care services

By Chris Linville

www.americaspharmacist.net November 2012 | america’s Pharmacist 17

If you are lookIng for some authentic

Southwestern fare, or a prescription, you might want

to consider a local favorite in Albuquerque, N.M. It’s

gained quite a following around the country, being

listed online on sites such as Yelp, Frommer’s, Fodor’s,

and Trip Advisor.

“The restaurant is really thriving,” says owner

Mona Ghattas. “When people are looking for genuine

New Mexican food, red and green chili, we pop up

quite a bit. Part of it is because we have been around

a long time, and a lot of old Albuquerque people are

familiar with us. Many kids grew up eating here, and

now their kids are eating here. So almost all of the locals

are familiar with us. They are very loyal customers. And

a lot of people who have moved away make it a point

to come by when they visit because they miss it. So we

have a big following.”

By the way, Ghattas also has an RPh next to her

name, and the popular restaurant is actually part of Duran

Central Pharmacy, an Albuquerque institution since 1942.

“We just try to do it all and have everything here so that

people don’t have to go another pharmacy for anything,”

she says. Among Duran Central’s patient care specialties

are compounded and custom-made prescriptions, bio-

identical hormone replacement consults and therapy,

vaccinations, medication management, blood pressure

checks, custom fittings for compression hosiery, and

medical supplies such as walkers and canes.

Ghattas’ description of the pharmacy’s other

offerings in its front end reflect a varied and eclectic mix.

These include imported men's shaving products, European

bath and body products, aromatherapy herbal remedies,

assorted food items, gourmet teas, more than 400 different

imported soaps, household goods, kitchen gadgets,

imported chocolates and candies, along with books,

magazines, cards, and journals.

“They can eat here, get their prescriptions filled,

and buy a birthday gift,” Ghattas says with a laugh.

Family LegacyThe pharmacy’s original owner was Pete Duran, and the

business went by the name Pete Durans. In 1965, Duran

decided to retire and sold the store to Ghattas’ father

Robert Ghattas.

Mona Ghattas says the pharmacy had a small

soda fountain. “My father found that the people who

came in there really liked the New Mexican chili the

cooks would make, so he started expanding on that.”

She says that the pharmacy eventually outgrew

its location, and in 1975 moved to a site on the famous

Route 66 in what is referred to as Old Town.

Ghattas, like her father, received her pharmacy

degree from the University of New Mexico. And like

many children of pharmacy owners, she practically grew

up at Duran Central.

“I’ve worked there literally since I was 5 years

old, dusting or bagging things, doing cashier work,

waitressing; you name it, I did everything,” she says.

Fill Your Bowl

Your PrescriPtion&

18 america’s Pharmacist | November 2012 www.americaspharmacist.net

“After becoming a pharmacist, I helped dad manage as

he took a step back. In 2010, he decided he wanted to

officially retire, so I decided to go ahead and purchase the

pharmacy from him.”

The pharmacy building is approximately

6,600-square-feet, including the restaurant, Ghattas says.

The pharmacy section is 4,440-square-foot, and she has

more than 30 employees. There are two pharmacists other

than Ghattas, and her father does some consulting. She has

three technicians, one intern, a delivery driver, and several

front end staff. The restaurant employs a number of wait

staff and cooks. She says the pharmacy dispenses between

250–300 prescriptions daily.

Running a large pharmacy could be daunting

enough alone. Being trained as a pharmacist and also

managing a restaurant seems even more challenging. But

Ghattas says things operate fairly smoothly.

“It helped that I grew up in the business,” she

says. “It also helped that I worked back there, I’ve done

literally every job in this establishment. My sister and

brother have restaurants, so they offer a lot of advice to

me as well. The people working in the restaurant have

been here a long time, so we sort of have a system back

there. It’s changed very little. It’s difficult as a pharmacist

to do that, but I have a lot of support staff that help

me. We bottle and ship our chili nationwide, so we

have another business on the side. All of the staff have

different areas where they help manage.”

UpgradesAfter taking over from her father, Ghattas says “A lot

of things were just habit. I’ve moved it forward in a

different area because pharmacy has been changing

drastically over the years. I’ve been making changes and

trying to update the store a bit.”

Ghattas says she’s always open to anything that

might help the business and enhance customer services.

For example, she says, “For years we had no credit cards

in our restaurant. But our customers demanded it so now

we have a wireless credit card machine, and everyone is

happy about that. So we’re not afraid to try new things.”

And speaking of technology, Ghattas says Duran

Central has always been on the leading edge.

“We were the first in the state to become

computerized [about 30 years ago],” she says. “We

approached the board of pharmacy, and said we wanted to

have them. We were the first pharmacy that was approved

for computers. We were even before Walgreens. It was kind

of unusual that an independent started before a chain.”

Not surprisingly, Duran central has a point-

of-sale system, signature pads, and is heavily active in

e-prescribing. “We do more of that compared to faxes in

terms of communications with providers,” she says. “We

do a lot more e-prescriptions than faxes.”

OutreachGhattas takes pride in Duran Central’s efforts in

community outreach programs. It collaborates with the

health department on a drug addiction program using

Suboxone treatment. The pharmacy also works with a local

hospital to assist patients who can’t afford their drugs.

“We help by delivering and trying to meet their

needs,” she says. “It’s basically a traveling department of

The pharmacy specializes in compounding and the restaurant

is famous for its red and green chili, bottled and shipped

nationwide. (Photo courtesy of Mona Ghattas)

www.americaspharmacist.net November 2012 | america’s Pharmacist 19

health. We go and visit different high schools and provide

health care services to [students] on the pharmaceutical

side. If the schools have students who can’t afford

medicines or health care, they [health care providers]

see them at the school, and sometimes they will send the

student to our pharmacy to pick up medications.”

Ghattas says that Duran Central is big on

continuing education and lifelong learning. She says that

the staff—whether it’s pharmacists, technicians, or front-

end—receive training and attend classes on a regular

basis to enhance their skills. Another way to expand the

pharmacy’s learning curve is through participating in

drug trials.

“We’re very pro-education in our pharmacy,”

Ghattas says. “We try very hard to really be on top of

what’s new out there, and what’s going on. It provides a

lot of patient contact, which we like doing. Sometimes in

the pharmacy we get stuck behind the counter counting

and pouring and we never get to use our talent. In the

drug studies we come across a lot of different people and

it’s nice to do some one-on-one with customers.”

There are multiple benefits from the drug studies,

Ghattas says.

“It brings in another whole group of people who

potentially could come to our pharmacy. Part of it is

marketing, part of it is monetary—because they do pay

us to do the studies—and part of it is keeping up with

medications that are being considering for over-the-

counter use. It’s important to learn about these things

because people are on different drugs each with their own

contraindications; it kind of keeps our skills a bit honed

in, and because we have to be trained before we do the

drug studies for a class, it helps build the knowledge base.”

Ghattas says being an independent provides the

flexibility to participate in outside ventures.

“Because we aren’t a [publicly traded]

corporation, we can do a lot of other things on the side

because we don’t have to go through a big corporate

approval process,” she says. “I can make those decisions.”

Supporting Local BusinessesHaving lived in Albuquerque her entire life, Ghattas is

loyal to her hometown and is passionate about helping it

remain vibrant economically.

“Maybe because I have a local business, but I really

do try hard to support other local businesses,” she says. “I’ve

From aromatherapy herbal remedies to kitchen gadgets to 400 different imported soaps, they’re all at Duran’s on iconic Route 66.

(Photo courtesy of Mona Ghattas)

got buttons that say ‘shop small stores.’ I think it’s important

to keeping money in the community, and keep local

businesses alive. I try to practice that in every aspect. I rarely

buy anything on the Internet. Sometimes I’ll pay more and

go out of my way to buy my clothes at a local shop instead

of a big chain, and I very rarely go to a chain restaurant.”

She continues, “It’s hard to keep small businesses

afloat, so I try hard to support other local businesses.

If they can’t find it at my store, then I will send them to

the next local pharmacy or the next local gift shop, or

the next local restaurant. We have an organization that

supports local businesses. When we have meetings we

try to get food from local restaurants, and promote other

local businesses.”

Ghattas applies that philosophy to her practice,

that of the friendly local pharmacist who might live

down the street or in the neighborhood.

“We try to offer that whole small town pharmacy

feel in our store,” she says. “We’re very big in customer

support and customer appreciation. We try to know

everybody’s name and go the extra mile. If you are

20 america’s Pharmacist | November 2012 www.americaspharmacist.net

our customer, we will take the time to help you figure

out your wellness program and goals. We know what

they are taking pharmaceutical wise, so we know if

they aren’t sleeping, or if they are having some other

problems. Many times we’ll take the initiative and offer

suggestions—maybe you need to try to do this or take

this. We work hard with the doctors in our community

and have a good relationship with them. A lot of times

customers will come in and say, ‘the doctor says your

pharmacy is the best in town’—that’s nice to hear.”

Looking AheadGhattas says she doesn’t have any specific goals other

than to “continue what we are doing.” She does say that

complementary and alternative medicine is a focus area. The

pharmacy carries a large supply of vitamins and supplements,

along with Doctor Oz and weight loss programs.

“I’d like to grow a little bit in the wellness

area,” she says. “We encourage people to try to be

pharmaceutical free, and there’s a big interest there for

a lot of people. I think a lot of people want to do less

pharmaceutical and more natural preparation, so we’ve

been doing a lot of research on that and continuing

education in that area so we are more versed.”

Technology will also be a priority, she says,

particularly in creating greater efficiencies and improved

inventory control.

And of course, patient care is priority number one.

“We are committed to helping our patients in their

overall wellness,” Ghattas says. “We want to be a member

of the team to make people feel better and be healthier.”

Chris Linville is managing editor of America’s Pharmacist.

All in the family: Robert Ghattas bought Duran Central Pharmacy

in 1965, and daughter Mona took over the pharmacy---and

the kitchen---in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Kneeland)