Author: Cherry Street Pharmacy

December Was a Strong Month for Cherry Street Pharmacy

Over the short month, I’m proud to announce Cherry Street Pharmacy has reached important milestones for our business. In fact, we’ve accomplished so much early on this month, it felt like the holidays came early for my team.

As our biggest advocates and partners in business, I’m excited to announce the following updates to you today:

Cherry Street’s Pharmacy’s Saved Patients Over $100K in Co-Pays

2020 was an unprecedented year.

With millions of people trying to survive the new norm, we knew our business model was perfectly positioned to help those in need. Through our Cherry Care Program, prescription coupons, and Cherry Street Points Program, we were able to make healthcare more accessible to those that need it most.

Related: How We Saved Our Patients Over $100K in Prescription Costs in 2020

Cherry Street Pharmacy Has Started Testing For COVID

Over the holidays the US has experienced a spike in COVID. Though we advocate for everyone to stay home and social distance during the holiday season, we find many people are still getting together to celebrate.

As a result, we’ve started offering COVID point of care testing. We now offer the rapid SNAP test and lab testing to our patients and to the general public who need it.

We will also start offering COVID vaccinations in January when our location is approved and our shipment arrives.

Cherry Street Pharmacy Signed a Partnership With Tulare County

This month we signed an agreement with Tulare to provide pharmacy and medical services for the county’s institutional patients. We’re excited to support Tulare even more through this partnership while also creating an additional revenue stream.

Our New Pharmacy in Cutler is Approximately 50% Complete

In the past few months, my team has worked relentlessly to get our second location off the ground. We’re approximately halfway done with construction and will be up and running no later than March 2021.

We were able to get our new shelving in this week!

I’ll have pictures of the location shortly, but I also wanted to share the pharmacy building designs to start to give you an idea of what it will look like.

The new location also has its Medicare contract and is currently waiting on Medicaid and private insurance, which should be complete by the end of March 2021.

Cherry Street Pharmacy Started Mail Order Shipping For New Customers in The Bay and LA

Word-of-mouth marketing is up 50% due to the nature of our Cherry Care program which offers between 80% to 100% discounts on prescription co-pays.

We’re starting to get pharmacy changes and prescription refill orders from patients who live in the bay area and LA. To accommodate those patients we’ve started mail ordering prescriptions.

I can’t express enough how thrilled we are to continue to expand our patient base outside of our direct geographical location.

Again, thank you so much for being our biggest advocates for our business success! I hope you’re as excited to hear these updates as I am telling you.

We’ve hit some major milestones, but you know what would be the best way to close out 2020 strong?

Hitting $100K in our raise before the new year, and we want to do it with you! Here’s how you can help:

● Consider re-investing at this time. Even an additional $100 makes an impact.

● Share our raise page and investor presentation with your network.

● Spread awareness about our cause and Cherry Care Program

● We’re Live on MicroVentures! Raising Funds to Create The One Stop Pharmacy

● Why Medication Copay Assistance Has Never Been More Necessary

● Cherry Care: Our Commitment to Prescription Access and Co-Pay Assistance

As the company continues to expand and meet goals, now is the time to join our momentum! We look forward to hitting our $100K goal and sharing more major milestones with you shortly.

Cherry Street was founded by Dr. Wenbo Liu in 2016 as a means to make the health care system more streamlined, affordable, and accessible for at-risk and underserved communities.

Driven by his ethos to do well by doing good, Wenbo’s creativity and problem-solving abilities helped him create a pharmaceutical business model that can provide eligible patients up to 100% off on prescription co-pay costs.

But Wenbo didn’t always have the dream to open up a pharmacy.

Here’s Wenbo explaining his journey, skills, and the reasons why he believes his leadership will ultimately make Cherry Street Pharmacy a household name and a great investment for those looking to get more involved in our company.

“I’ve Always Been an Entrepreneur”

My entrepreneurial journey started when I was in junior high, when I started my own tutoring club. Over time it grew to a decent size, and eventually, my tutoring club became a tutoring business called Teacher IQ where I would hire grad students to teach high school and junior high students math, science, and SAT prep. At one point we had over 20 grad students traveling to different tutoring locations and centers.

Though the business was successful, I had my eye set on going to medical school. I earned my BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Arizona, then later went on to earn a Doctorate in Pharmaceuticals from the University of Hawai’i.

“I Saw Inefficiencies and Inequalities in Healthcare That I Wanted to Change”

During my time studying medicine, I saw many inefficiencies in the healthcare industry and realized that every industry so far has been disrupted except for pharmacies and medicine. You still have to go to your primary care physician, get a prescription, drive to the pharmacy, wait for your medication, and drive home. This entire process is time-consuming and overwhelming, especially if you’re feeling as sick as a dog.

On top of that, the rising cost of healthcare is leaving more people without access to primary care physicians and life-saving medications. Too often I’ve heard stories of people foregoing utilities or food to pay for their prescription bills. I’ve also read stories of people traveling to Mexico, where medication is easily a quarter of the price compared to the US. Even worse, I’ve read stories about people skipping medication because it was too expensive, which later landed them in the ER.

My entire life these inefficiencies have hit too close to home. While I was in college my mother struggled with heart health issues, and chose not to have surgery so she could pay for our household bills.

Related: Americans Forced Into Bankruptcy to Pay For Prescriptions

I very vividly remember wanting to make a change in the status quo that prevented my mom from getting the surgery she needed—and I knew I could make it happen.

Medical school was going to take too long for me, so I opted to start a new business, one that was going to make an impact on healthcare and disrupt the pharmacy model as we know it.

“In 2016, I Launched Cherry Street Pharmacy With It’s Sister Non-Profit, Cherry Care”

With my Doctorate in Pharmaceuticals in hand and a lot of determination, I successfully opened the first Cherry Street Pharmacy in Tulare, California.

Rather than focusing on big affluent cities with tons of competition, I focused on finding underserved communities in more rural areas. Tulare was an ideal location where I knew my pharmacy model could help people have access to the prescriptions they needed.

Shortly after, I launched Cherry Care–the non-profit behind it all.

Through the Cherry Care program, eligible Cherry Street Pharmacy patients can receive up to 100% off prescription co-pays. The nonprofit also works with the local community and makes donations year-round to other non-profit organizations that need our help.

Related: Cherry Care: Our Commitment to Prescription Access and Co-Pay Assistance

Cherry Street’s pharmacy also offers other financial support and incentive programs to maintain good health. For example, our prescription coupons and Cherry Street Points are available to everyone. Cherry Points are a unique system designed to incentivize people to take care of themselves. Every time their vitals improve, they refill their prescription on time, or get a vaccination, they earn Cherry Points which can later be exchanged for cash-back that they can spend as they please.

“Our Pilot Location Generated $3 Million in Revenue While Saving Our Patients Thousands in Prescription Costs”

These three systems working together have saved our patients over $100K in prescription savings alone in 2020, while also growing the business. By providing patients the financial help they need, we’ve also been able to expand quickly while saving on marketing costs.

Related: How We Saved Our Patients Over $100K in Prescription Costs in 2020[1]

“Now I’m Working Diligently to Open Our Second Location in Cutler, California, and Kickstart The Telemedicine Arm of The Business”

Cherry Street Pharmacy’s mission is to not only make healthcare more accessible but also more streamlined. We’ve already built an at-scale in-house medication delivery service and we’re actively working to finish building our telemedicine platform and install telemedicine booths inside our clinic.

Related: How Telemedicine is Quickly Becoming The Future of Healthcare

Now, rather than visit your primary care doctor in person for a simple check-up and prescription, you can do so at your local Cherry Street Pharmacy. In one place and one appointment you can see your physician, have your vitals taken, blood drawn, and prescription filled.

Later in our roadmap, we plan on building out mobile units that can go to homes and give the necessary primary care for those who are too sick to leave home, don’t have transportation, or are bed-ridden. Then our prescription delivery will be able to drop off any necessary medication.

Our second location in Cutler California is currently under construction with a target launch date of March 2021.

“My Business Ethos is To Do Well While Doing Good”

I’m a firm believer that entrepreneurs are perfectly positioned to use their creativity and ingenuity to create businesses that use their platforms for good.

My first and foremost priority is to help those that need me, and thus, it’s Cherry Street’s number one obligation. That’s also why we’ve applied for B-Corporation status, which would classify our company as a Public Benefit Corporation.

There are millions of people I know who will benefit from Cherry Street Pharmacy and I’m working relentlessly to see Cherry Street expand across the country.

If you’re interested in getting involved and joining me on my mission, then read “The Top 2 Reasons to Invest in Cherry Street Pharmacy”.

I want to personally invite you to invest in Cherry Street on MicroVentures. You can get involved for as little as $100!

Related: We’re Live on MicroVentures! Raising Funds to Create a “One-Stop” Pharmacy

Together we can make a difference for thousands of people that need our support.

If you have any questions or would like to chat, reach out to me directly at wenbo.liu@cherryrx.com.

Do you have multiple medication prescriptions to take? Do you get frustrated having to run so many trips to the pharmacy to stay on top of all your refills?

If so, then let us help you streamline your pharmacy visits and make medication management easier with Cherry Street Pharmacy’s Medication Synchronization program.

Medication synchronization (med sync) is, “when the pharmacist coordinates your refill on your medication so you can pick them up on a single day of each month.”

The Benefits of Medication Synchronization

A study done in 2018 by Harvard Medical School found that patients on med synch programs improved medication adherence by 8% compared to non-synced patients. In addition, patients on medication synchronization programs had lower rates of outpatient visits, hospitalization, and emergency department visits.

Thus, medication synchronization drastically improves your medication adherence by making your refill schedule streamlined and simple.

Other major benefits include:

● Eliminates repeated trips to the pharmacy and the costs associated with doing so

● Minimizes confusion on which prescriptions need to be refilled

● Improves treatment by reducing the likelihood of missed or delayed refills

● Provides greater physician and pharmacist oversight of your medication including drug misuse, side effects, and errors

How Can You Get Started on a Medication Synchronization Program?

Aligning your medication on a synchronization program at Cherry Street Pharmacy is easy:

1. Visit us at www.CherryRx.comto have one of our pharmacists formulate a plan for synchronization
2. Our pharmacists may perform partial refills to synchronize your medications on the determined recurring date.
3. You pick up all your medication on a single date!

Have more questions? We’re happy to help! Reach out to us today at 559-234-2112!

The Guardian recently wrote, “Millions of Americans can’t afford the prescription drugs they require to survive, forcing them into bankruptcy, trips to Mexico, or cutting off utilities.”

It’s true—all too often our patients tell us stories about forgoing food, utilities, and other basic necessities to pay for the outrageous cost of medications. We even had a patient who, in a difficult position, decided to pay rent and skip his heart medication instead, which sent him on a stretcher to the hospital only a few weeks later.

These stories make it clear that the US healthcare system is in desperate need of change.

But politics takes time, so our Founder and CEO Wenbo Liu asked, what can we do now to help those in need of medication, and how can we make it sustainable?

After months of planning and problem solving, Cherry Care—the non-profit arm of Cherry Street Pharmacy—was born.

Eligible Cherry Street Pharmacy patients can enroll in Cherry Care to receive up to 80% off their prescription costs. For some patients that’s the difference between being able to maintain their health or the roof over their head.

We’re proud to say Cherry Care at our first pilot pharmacy in Tulare, California is a huge success and is growing. Here are some quick stats that showcase the impact we’ve made this past year:

$38,428 in Cherry Care Savings for Cherry Street Pharmacy Patients

The co-pay assistance program is intended for individuals who have limited income to spend on medication and is funded by our non-profit organization, Cherry Care.

Eligibility for co-pay assistance through Cherry Care is simple: If you’re currently on Medical or Medicaid and make less than $30K a year you’re eligible for 100% financial assistance. If you currently make between $30K to $37K a year you’re eligible for 80% financial assistance.

In 2020, we were able to save close to $40K in prescription costs for Cherry Care patients, which in many cases is life-saving.

Wenbo recalls a time where a patient called the pharmacy for support, “He called me asking for help, saying he was low income, ill, and spending over $100 every month for prescriptions he needed to live. I referred him to our Cherry Care program since he was eligible. He was so grateful, reiterating why he didn’t know about Cherry Street sooner.”

Related: Lower Your Medication Costs With Cherry Street’s Prescription Copay Program

[Infographic]

$20K in Prescription Coupon Savings

In an effort to make health care affordable for everyone, Cherry Street Pharmacy offers prescription coupons for all our patients. These coupons are high-value for medications such as Ajovy, Otezla, and Trelegy. In the past year, we saved patients approximately $20K through our free coupons.

$50K in Money Back From Cherry Points

Cherry Points is a system designed to incentivize patients to stay in good health. Every time a patient’s record shows an act of good health such as their cholesterol levels dropping, maintaining a proper medication synchronization schedule, or getting a vaccination, the patient receives a Cherry Point.

Once a patient reaches a certain amount of Cherry Points, patients can exchange their points for cash-back rewards. Not a coupon, not a cash-voucher that you can only spend in the pharmacy, but rather cold-hard cash-back that our patients can spend as they please.

This holiday season we’ve had many patients call to cash in their points for gifts. We also recall a poignant moment of a lady cashing in her points for $20 to put gas in her tank for a job interview. By offering this system we’re able to not only positively reinforce good health but also help our patients when they need a little extra help with other savings.

$300K Cherry Care Donations to Local Government Charities

We’re not only giving back to our patients but to our entire local community. In 2020 alone we donated over $300K of our margins to local charities that are serving those in need of shelter and homes.

We Can’t Wait To Grow Our Patient Savings in 2021

2020 was an unprecedented year.

With millions of people trying to survive the new norm, we knew our business model was perfectly positioned to help those in need.

As we build our second location in Cutler, California we look forward to expanding our impact and pursuing our mission to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all.

If you’re curious how you can join our mission, then consider joining us as an investor to bring a Cherry Street Pharmacy near you. Learn more about our investment opportunity on MicroVentures and invest today for as little as $100!

With any new medical invention, it takes tremendous time to test, validate, and implement the technology at scale. However, disruptive change can act as a catalyst for emerging technology to almost instantly become the new standard. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical innovation at the forefront of transforming healthcare is telemedicine.

According to the CDC, “During the first quarter of 2020, the number of telehealth visits increased by 50%, compared with the same period in 2019, with a 154% increase in visits noted in surveillance week 13 in 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.” Another report stated that “Since February, telemedicine grew from less than 1% of primary care visits to nearly 43.5% in April 2020.”

With it’s forced rapid adoption, telehealth is uniquely positioned to reshape the entire healthcare industry from operations, costs, and management. To predict the impact telemedicine will make in the near future, we asked our CEO and Founder, Wenbo Liu, how he anticipates telemedicine will change the medical landscape.

1. Telemedicine Will Make Primary, Urgent, and Preventative Care More Affordable, Accessible, and Streamlined

“The goal of primary and preventative care is to have easy access to regular checkups and make necessary adjustments early on so you can prevent chronic disease,” says Wenbo. In fact, according to the CDC, “chronic diseases that are avoidable through preventative care services account for 75% of the nation’s healthcare spending.” Telemedicine booths and mobile units will provide more convenient access to care, follow-up visits, and test results while reducing costs for preventative treatments.

Related: Lower Your Medication Costs With Cherry Street’s Prescription Co-Pay Program!

In other words, going to the doctor and waiting for hours just to have your blood drawn, vitals taken, and vaccinations given in your yearly check-up will no longer be the norm.

Wenbo continues, “At Cherry Street Pharmacy, we’ve realized the huge benefit telemedicine has in basic primary and preventative care. That’s why every Cherry Street Pharmacy location will have telemedicine booths and an onsite clinic where you can have your blood drawn or blood pressure taken. That way you can receive your medications or vaccinations on the spot. It’s more streamlined and accessible for those who are extremely ill, and need a one-stop option for their basic healthcare.”

2. Patients Will Choose Healthcare Services That Have Access to Telemedicine

Though not all services are ideal for telemedicine, clinics that offer telemedicine may see higher patient retention rates and satisfaction. “When patients can receive high-quality care from their local telemedicine booth or the comfort of their home, those patients will no longer have to endure long wait times for a short visit,” explains Wenbo.

For those patients, choosing clinics that help them save time while receiving amazing service, is really a no-brainer. As quick and efficient care becomes the norm, clinics and hospitals that don’t adapt to telemedicine will likely see a decline in business operations.

3. Pharmacies Will Embrace Telemedicine Which Will Provide More Business and Revenue Growth

Cherry Street Pharmacy is the first pharmacy model to provide access to primary and urgent care services through telehealth booths on-site. This model was created not only to help streamline the healthcare process, “but because we saw a demand for telemedicine services and we knew we could bridge the gap,” says Wenbo.

Pharmacies traditionally don’t offer many medical services outside of filling your prescription and giving you a flu shot. However, the Cherry Street Pharmacy model—a unique combination of telemedicine and prescription co-pay assistance—is proven to be a successful business that helps others at the same time. As our bottom line continues to grow, we’re sure that there will be pharmacies that follow in our footsteps. Those that do will also be able to enjoy doing well by doing good as well.

Related: Cherry Care: Our Commitment to Prescription Access and Co-Pay Assistance

As technology continues to advance in these uncertain times, only two things are clear—our healthcare system needs to be adaptable, and telehealth is here to stay.

At Cherry Street Pharmacy we’re utilizing telehealth in a novel way to make basic healthcare affordable and accessible for communities that are high-risk and underserved. We’re proud to say our pilot location in Tulare is a huge success and has seen exponential growth. We’re on track to break the previous estimate of $4.5million dollars in revenue this year, our gross margins will also be improving to over $2 million dollars, and we will see net income of around $1.3million dollars. This represents a 50% increase in YOY revenue, a near 100% increase in gross profit, and a 600% increase in net profit—all for ONE pharmacy location.

We’re confident that once our new locations open up, these numbers will explode even more exponentially.

Cherry Street Pharmacy is currently holding an equity raise on MicroVentures to further build out our telemedicine platform. Join us today as an investor for a more streamlined healthcare tomorrow!

“Cherry Care didn’t start out as a formal program it started out of need,” declares our founder, Wenbo Liu, “We had members of the community who were being forced to make terribly difficult decisions, between eating or taking their medicine, between paying their rent and staying healthy. These are choices I don’t think people should have to make in the wealthiest country in the world.”

In a country where over half a million people are turning to bankruptcy each year due to medical debt, a program such as Cherry Care could potentially heal an ailing healthcare system.

The way the program works is simple:

Wenbo set up a non-profit organization that collects donations from people who can afford it, including Cherry Street Pharmacy, which contributes a percentage of earnings before profits. This non-profit organization, or pool of resources nearing almost $500,000, allows Cherry Care to cover the deductible or co-pay on medications that might otherwise be out of reach for his customers.

As a pharmacy, we’re proud to say we’ve quickly become a valued member of the community, not because we embrace new technologies and ideas, but because we apply them to serve people with a basic human right—healthcare.

“My staff is taught and trained to treat every person that comes in through the door or on the phone as a member of their own family. You’re not a number, you are a person. We greet you by your name. We know exactly who you are. Building that connection and service is definitely key with Cherry Care,” says Wenbo.

After serving the Tulare community for over a year we’ve realized the impact and importance of our program. An unpredictable outcome of the program is that fewer patients are experiencing inconsistency in their dosage schedule creating fewer visits to the emergency room or urgent care.

By breaking down our commitment to Cherry Care even further, we hope to inspire you to not only share Cherry Care with those that you feel need it most, but also get involved as an investor in Cherry Street through our MicroVentures equity crowdfunding campaign.

Related: We’re Live on MicroVentures! Raising Funds to Create a “One-Stop” Pharmacy

Cherry Care Purely Charitable While Supporting Business Growth and Marketing Efforts

Outside of providing a much-needed service to those who can’t afford healthcare during these extremely difficult times, Cherry Care helps support our overall ability to rapidly scale and build new locations in underserved communities across the country.

By providing real co-pay assistance to up to 80%, we’re able to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty which helps with lowering marketing costs. The marketing dollars saved we’re able to put right back into the business to help our expansion, or put back into Cherry Care to provide co-pay assistance to the next new patient.

Related: Why Medication Co-Pay Assistance Has Never Been More Necessary

“It’s actually a lot more affordable than advertising, or sending out 50% off coupons,” Wenbo explains. “Besides, half-off of a medication one month only puts the patient in the same predicament the next month. Our solution provides consistent support which in turn keeps people on medication adherence programs, which keeps them coming back to the pharmacy, which keeps them healthy, and our business growing. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Ultimately, “Cherry Care started as a way to help people, to do the right thing,” Wenbo says. But it soon became clear that we go do good while doing well and it actually was more cost-effective than traditional marketing. “

Who Qualifies for Cherry Care?

If you earn $35,000 a year or are on Medical you automatically meet Cherry Care’s requirements and can receive up to 80% off your prescriptions.

It’s really as simple as that, and if you’re interested in learning more about Cherry Care and how to get started, check out “Getting Started with Cherry Care.”

Related: Lower Your Medications Costs With Cherry Street’s With Cherry Street’s Prescription Copay Assitance Program Cherry Care

“Recently, a patient of Cherry Street lost everything including his livelihood and comfortable home in Blackhawk, California. Worrying that he would be made homeless, he moved to Tulare near Cherry Street. He qualified for our services, and we were able to give him the discount he needed to stay afloat,” Wenbo remembers.

It’s these stories that touch us the most, and inspire us to continue to work relentlessly towards our vision.

The Future of Cherry Care

“Most startups or disruptors are based on being in high-density. They work because they are short distance and low cost. But what about rural communities or low-density communities?” asks Wenbo. “Don’t those people have the same needs, especially healthwise?”

What if this model could work outside of rural communities? “As part of the medical community, I felt it was my duty to become part of the medical solution as well. I believe this model could have a positive impact on the entire country.”

In the near future, Wenbo and his team are launching Cherry Clinics in rural communities that allow residents to telecommute from a central location. “Patients can come into the pharmacy and use telemedicine to see physicians. They can do labs within the pharmacy. They can go into our clinics and see our providers. All of these co-pays will then get covered by Cherry Care for people who qualify. We want to increase access to care for all these people.”

Cherry Street and Cherry Care is a revolutionary model and hitting remarkable numbers in a rural area where such success might appear unpredictable.

“I’m happy proving that doing the right thing is profitable especially in an industry where profits have been put before people for far too long.” Wenbo recently formalized Cherry Street Pharmacy as a B-Corporation.

If you’re inspired to get involved, then we hope you share our story on social media and invest in Cherry Street on MicroVentures!

For more information, we encourage you to also check out the following article:

● The Top 2 Reasons to Invest in Cherry Street Pharmacy[7]

Before COVID, implementing prescription delivery was notoriously difficult.

Cost of delivery, the ability to verify identity, and distribution management all posed huge barriers to effectively build out a prescription delivery service offering that would support their customers’ and business’ needs.

Our Founder Wenbo Liu points out, “If you do 100% delivery, what happens when you have to make multiple deliveries to the same person? What happens if a doctor sends an antibiotic in the morning to realize he sent the wrong one? Delivery has high potential for error or complications, which all translates into additional costs from repetitive work.”

For these reasons, many pharmacies were resistant to offering any type of medication delivery.

Due to modern technology and applications, patient identity can be verified and delivery push notifications acknowledgement can hold patients accountable for accepting medications.

With these advancements, chain pharmacies were slowly introducing sustainable delivery services by charging delivery fees. But with the onset of COVID, many pharmacies agreed to waive those fees in an effort to make prescription delivery accessible. As expected, more patients are utilizing pharmacies that offer this crucial service to ensure medication adherence while staying safe.

Though prescription delivery is a must for pharmacies and customers during COVID-19, delivery options are changing the pharmacy landscape long after the pandemic subsides. Here’s how prescription delivery will change the way we interact with pharmacies now and in the future.

Prescription Delivery is Helping to Centralize Customer Service and Patient Care

Imagine needing medication before COVID.

You’d have to go to the doctor for your prescription, take it to the pharmacy, see if your insurance covered it, wait for it to be filled, then go home—all while potentially feeling under the weather.

“Even before showing up at the pharmacy, you’re scheduling an appointment with your doctor, leaving home and driving through traffic to sit in a waiting room for sometimes hours to see a doctor for a minute or less to receive your medication,” our Founder, Wenbo Liu, explains.

He continues, “Then you have to take your prescription to a pharmacy, wait for your prescription to be filled, then go home. If you’re sick, then this is a daunting and draining process.”

Wenbo finishes, “In no way does this system benefit the health of the patient.”

For years, pharmacies avoided prescription delivery for costly reasons, even though it was an additional strain on consumers.

“Offering free delivery is a huge business expense, it’s more cost-effective for pharmacies to have patients pick-up their medication, even if it’s not in your best interest,” says Wenbo.

However, COVID is changing all that.

With the shift to prescription delivery, pharmacies are in the position to improve the patient experience and do what’s best for patient needs, instead of bottom lines.

No more running to the pharmacy after your doctor appointment, no more waiting in line. Prescription delivery offers a healthier, more efficient, and convenient service, and as more people opt-in, more pharmacies will centralize and prioritize this level of patient care into their business model.

Prescription Delivery Could Create a Consolidation of Pharmacies

An industry status report published in June of 2020 has reframed its discussion on prescription delivery, “Towards an in-depth review of the delivery solutions available to pharmacies, health systems, and patients,” where they state, “As the COVID-19 virus spread across the country, it became clear that prescription delivery was not only desirable but necessary for good public health.”

In other words, the entire healthcare model including patients are coming to a new understanding about how delivery plays a role in overall health and safety.

Not only is the industry seeing a huge adoption of prescription delivery, there is also an increase in satisfaction with 94% of users reporting “very-satisfied” with their delivery experience. In parallel, there’s also been a wide increase of mail subscription refills, although recent turmoil at USPS may stall those advances.

Though prescription delivery is costly, chains implementing COVID protections for customers including free contactless same-day prescription delivery and in-store social distancing are reporting profits for the recent quarter.

However, smaller pharmacies that lack the same resources as big chains may not see the same numbers. Wenbo explains,“Some of the mom and pop pharmacies will figure out a way to stay compliant with technology but some might not make it due to the costly nature of delivery.”

As a result, a consolidation of pharmacies may take place as the pandemic lifts favoring the survival of those offering affordable, even free, delivery services.

Prescription Delivery is Supporting Home-Based Health Initiatives Including Telehealth

With COVID, the entire healthcare model is shifting towards home-based health with telehealth appointments and prescription delivery leading the way. Jane Garcia, CEO of La Clínica de la Raza states, “One of the positive outcomes of this [pandemic] is that telehealth has been demystified.”

Before the COVID pandemic, trends showed some interest in the use of telehealth, but various policies and restrictions made the adoption difficult. However, the pandemic has forced a shift in policies that have reduced barriers to telehealth appointments where physicians can prescribe medications to be delivered straight to your door.

Does that mean you can get prescriptions today without visiting your doctor?

Yes and no.

Telemedicine is a low risk-option for simple primary care visits and a convenient option for medical advice. Many physicians agree, according to a GoodRX survey where 50% of prescripers said they would be comfortable prescribing medications for non-severe problems, and 75% said they’d be comfortable doing refills for ongoing treatments.

Regardless, you’d still need to consult your physician for medication, however making the trip to the doctor and the pharmacy to get your prescription may no longer be necessary depending on what kind of telemedicine provider you use.

At Cherry Streety We’re Working Relentlessly to Centralize Patient Care With Prescription Delivery and More

Before COVID, we realized prescription delivery was a must to provide our patients healthcare services with ease-of-use and convenience.

It’s as simple as visiting CherryRX.com, choose refill on the page and then select pickup or delivery. From there, we’ll notify you of every stage of the filling and delivery or pickup process.

Our primary motivator is your health. By offering you free prescription delivery, we hope to help you take your medication regularly.

That’s why free delivery is a priority in our community during and beyond COVID, and we look forward to seeing how prescription delivery continues to revolutionize the healthcare industry as a whole.

Questions? Learn more about our free delivery or feel free to contact us any time.

If you ask the internet, healthcare is broken and there’s no way to fix it. But a visionary pharmacist opening next-level clinics in rural communities is set to make healthcare affordable again and he isn’t waiting for politicians when they’ve proven to be more interested in campaign contributions from insurance and healthcare companies.

“What we’re doing with Cherry Street just makes sense for the future on many levels,” asserts Wenbo Liu, our CEO and Founder of Cherry Street Pharmacy. “I’m on the ground here. I can see what devastating effects lobbyists are creating in communities and I can see a way around that whole mess.”

Our founder’s vision is to build a series of Cherry Care Pharmacies that connect suburban and rural patients with subject matter experts and specialists in distant institutions, such as Stanford and UCLA. We believe the Cherry Street model is not only ground-breaking, it’s only the tip of the iceberg of the impact we intend to create.

As we write this, our second location in Cutler, California is currently being built. As the construction progresses, we’ve noticed a lot of people asking how can they get involved and help us realize our vision faster.

The simple answer is to invest in Cherry Street on MicroVentures.

And if you’re not already convinced to join our mission, here’s why we believe we’re your next best investment that’s going to make a real impact for the people who need it the most.

Cherry Street is Supporting Rural Communities and Making a Real Difference in Underserved Communities

Many people ask us, why rural communities? Why not set up in a bustling urban environment like San Francisco?

The answer is simple.

Our business model is founded on the concept of doing well by doing good.

In our founder’s words, “historically speaking for the past 10 years, urban sprawl has been decreasing and suburban growth has been increasing. People, especially baby boomers, are moving out to more affordable communities where they’re able to live out their retirement,” Wenbo explains. “Most tech and medicine innovation has happened in metropolitan areas. So we went into the rural areas because we saw this market as hugely untapped and those people need our help the most.”

For this reason, Cherry Street is a certified B Corp. “Becoming certified was aligned with the company’s ethos. By achieving B-Corp certification we’re obligated to make a positive impact with our model, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Rural patients need access to medical expertise and flexible pharmacy services. With Cherry Care we’re able to provide:

• Free prescription delivery in the nearby area with real-time updates and notifications
• Financial co-pay assistance programs (Cherry Care)
• Prescription coupons
• Health news and access to community wellness classes

With our Cherry Care program, we’re able to provide up to 80% off prescription co-pay. Though this isn’t the article to dive into the nuts and bolts of Cherry Care, we highly encourage you to read the following related article:

Related: Lower Your Medication Costs With Cherry Street’s Prescription Copay Program Cherry Care

We’ve noticed the more we serve these communities, the more our business grows for the following reasons:

• Rural patients have strong insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid most of which are not tied to a patient’s employment.
• For those who are insured through an employer, rural areas are experiencing less job-market fluctuation, especially now during COVID.
• Combining clinical services with pharmacy services is a serious upgrade for most patients.

In combination, Cherry Care and Cherry Street Pharmacy create a proven growth model that provides increased levels of actual care and patient satisfaction, and ease of adoption in higher-density communities.

“We’re in the health business,” Wenbo exclaims, “We have to be a force for good, don’t we? It’s a bonus that we’re making excellent margins.”

Current Cherry Street locations fall under the RHC (Rural Health Clinic) classification guaranteeing a certain rate of reimbursements. “Our end goal is to convert the RHC over to an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center), which then, in turn, triples the reimbursement rates. And on top of that, the pharmacy drug costs will drop by about 95%.”

Cherry Street is Combining Telemedicine Visits With a Pharmacy

Our upcoming location in Cutler (and future locations) will be state-of-the-art facilities putting the patient’s experience first.

“We’re evolving to be the one-stop pharmacy, where you can see your provider via telemedicine, have your blood drawn, and pick up your prescription all in one easy location,” says Wenbo.

Because here’s the thing, our current healthcare model is too splintered. You have to go to your doctor, wait hours for a brief appointment, take your prescription to the pharmacy, wait for your prescription, then go home.

A simple medical visit can take hours, and imagine doing this entire process when you’re sick?

Wenbo realized that a centralized pharmacy with telemedicine visits would serve the patient much better than our current model. He describes the experience like this, “You’ll walk in and be greeted at the door. They’ll ask you, ‘are you here for your prescription? Or are you here for a visit?’ So if you say, ‘you know what, ‘I need a refill,’ or, ‘I need to see a provider’, then they’ll direct you to one of the telemedicine booths. You’ll go in, you’ll see the provider. In there you’ll be able to do your blood work, and take your blood pressure and cholesterol. When you’re done with your visit you’ll leave the telemedicine both to a locked box with your own single-use code. You unlock it, take your prescription, and go home.”

Invest in Cherry Street on MicroVentures!

We’re excited for our vision to be realized with our new facility currently being built in Cutler California (which is entering the permitting and planning processes). We can’t wait to see the hybrid of a telemedicine clinic and pharmacy, and if you want to help support our progress then get involved and invest in Cherry Street on MicroVentures!

Related: We’re Live on MicroVentures! Raising Funds to Create the One-Stop Pharmacy

Our location in Cutler is just the first of many locations in our expansion plan across North America. Your investment helps up open up for needed clinics in rural cities across the country. Needless to say, we’re not shy about wanting to help as many people as possible because “Everything we do should be part of helping our community feel better.”

With such a groundbreaking model, we hope to pique your interest and inspire you to back Wenbo’s vision for a healthcare system that provides equitable access through a customer-centric approach.

“We understand that most traditional money is tied up in the current system, which is why we are doing an equity crowdfunding campaign. We want to get more of the public, or crowd involved in our journey” Wenbo reveals.

Ultimately, we’re looking for like-minded people who think differently, who look at the impacts of the current system, and want to be part of a community that is doing something about it today.

Learn more about our active campaign on MicroVentures and don’t forget to invest!

At Cherry Street, our founding mission is to serve those that need our help.

As a pharmacy, we’re uniquely capable to help improve the health and wellbeing of our surrounding community. After hearing story after story of individuals being hospitalized simply because they couldn’t afford their medications, we knew we needed to do something about it.

Aligned with a mission to improve quality of life, we settled in an underserved community to intentionally help those that would benefit from our support the most. As a result, we created Cherry Care, our non-profit that provides direct financial copay assistance for those who struggle with paying for their medication.

Because the bottom line is, nobody should ever have to choose whether they are going to pay for food versus their medication.

By breaking down our copay assistance program, we hope to communicate that we’re here to help you create a healthier life while putting dollars back into your pocket. At any point, if you know someone who would be eligible and benefit from our copay assistance program, please share this article with them and refer them to our copay assistance program on our website.

How Does Our Copay Assistance Program Work?

The copay assistance program is intended for individuals who have limited income to spend on medication and is funded by our non-profit organization, Cherry Care.

Eligibility for copay assistance through Cherry Care is simple:

If you’re currently on Medical or Medicaid and make less than $30K a year you’re eligible for 100% financial assistance.

If you currently make between $30K to $37K a year you’re eligible for 80% financial assistance.

In sum, our Cherry Care program will cover up to 100% of branded generic copays with no maximum limit for the entire year if your annual income is less than $30K a year. If you make $30 – $37K a year, you’re eligible for 80% coverage.

Our program is designed with two tiers of coverage to make sure it’s not all-or-nothing assistance. Rather, the tiers encourage more people to receive help while maximizing our efforts to do so.

The process to sign up for Cherry Care is straightforward, if you have state Medicaid or Medical, you automatically quality because your insurance guarantees that you meet the eligibility requirements. If you have Medicare, there is an additional form to fill out that will allow us to check your eligibility. For more information and to access the necessary paperwork, please contact us.

The Benefits of Copay Assistance go Beyond Savings

After covering over $15K in copay assistance for individuals, we’ve seen the benefits have an immediate chain reaction. Not only does it help you save money, in some cases copay assistance means food on the table. In other cases where some prescriptions can cost $600 a month and when saved over the course of a year, can easily be the cost of a used car.

We’re helping our customers remove this unfortunately common train of thought, “My insurance requires me to pay out of pocket, but I can’t afford it. What do I do?” A dilemma that all too often leaves vulnerable people splitting pennies to just make it by, or puts them in dangerous situations of foregoing life-saving medications and risking hospitalization.

Take our customer Ruth for example, who’s insulin cost her $250 a month. For a period of time, Ruth was unable to afford her insulin costs forcing her to ration out her supply. A practice that is not uncommon, and can lead to a deadly condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis. After switching to Cherry Street and receiving copay assistance, we’ve helped Ruth cover 80% of her costs.

If you relate to Ruth’s experience and are eligible for Cherry Care’s copay assistance, we highly encourage you to apply to the program or contact us if you have any questions.

Related: How to Apply to Cherry Care’s Copay Assistance Program

The big picture is copay assistance helps you maintain your health by increasing medication adherence. We’ll help you so you don’t have to worry about prescription costs while giving you equitable access to the medications that will keep you healthy and hospital-free.

We Use Our Pharmacy as a Force For Good: To Help You Stay Healthy and Stress-Free

Your health is our number one priority, and we’ve implemented tons of ways where we can help you maintain your health, without breaking the bank.

For those that are eligible, we highly encourage you to sign up for Cherry Care’s Copay Assistance Program by learning more on our site and contacting us.

If you’re not eligible, then don’t worry. We’ll give you money to stay healthy—literally. Here’s how:

Every time you pick up a prescription on time or show that you’re taking care of yourself through blood tests that indicate your blood sugar and cholesterols are dropping, you’ll earn Cherry Points which you can redeem for cashback.

No in-store vouchers or coupons. Only straight cashback that you can spend on your prescriptions, or anywhere you’d like.

We also offer a huge variety of prescription coupons on an ongoing basis to help alleviate extra costs.

We’re a firm believer that as a pharmacy we’re in the position to use our business to make a sustainable impact in our communities. By offering our copay assistance program and other financial solutions, we hope to create an equitable healthcare system and healthy communities.

People don’t revolve around medicine, medicine revolves around people.

Which is why we’re striving to be the “one-stop” pharmacy that serves all your needs.

We’re here to support you during these unprecedented times. Reach out to us if you have any questions, need help, or would like to sign up for our Cherry Care Copay Assistance Program.

What if a pharmacy could end healthcare inefficiencies, close the access gap for the poor and underserved and keep people consistent with their medications, all while turning a healthy profit?

Would you want to invest in that model?

Because, suddenly, you can.

Our Founder, Wenbo Liu worked his way up to Pharmacy Manager not long after graduating Pharmacy School in 2013, and he couldn’t ignore the lack of efficiency in providing medicine and even overall care in the healthcare industry.

“People call their doctors, make an appointment, drive there, then go to the labs, and then go to the pharmacy, wait in line to see if their prescription is available. If they need a refill, they go to the pharmacy. If there’s no refill, the pharmacy sends a message to the doctor,” Wenbo exclaims. “And then everyone goes back and forth, back and forth; there are huge inefficiencies. And these are sick people.”

Wenbo began to address the lags in communication with evolving technologies when he launched his own pharmacy, Cherry Street with technologies the behemoth healthcare system wouldn’t embrace as quickly, if at all. Next, he took a swing at the financial disconnect affecting many of his patients.

“I saw daily that people were choosing between either food, electricity, clothes, rent, or medications. I think life is hard enough as is and when people have to choose between life and death, versus paying their rent or buying food, to me personally, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do, especially in the wealthiest country in the world.”

Step one, he made delivery free. Keeping people current with their treatments without having to schedule transportation has reduced the impact on his patient’s tremendously.

Next, he launched a non-profit, Cherry Care, that covers a copay assistance program that covers copays for those who qualify.

Not only is Cherry Street supporting those in desperate need, it also saves Cherry Street on huge marketing costs. Large chains offer one-time rewards and spend gobs on marketing programs to acquire customers. “What happens if a customer’s copay is $200 and you give them a one-time coupon for $100 off for being a new customer. You give them 50% off for the first month, but what about next month? The customer is likely to leave to look for the next best discount,” Wenbo poses.

He finishes, “Cherry Street’s copay assistant program costs less than marketing and gives patients the service they cannot get anywhere else, which ensures their ongoing loyalty.”

One customer shared, “I appreciate the free deliveries, but the copay assistance part has really ‘spoiled’ my parents because now they don’t have to choose between going with an inferior treatment option. Now they’re able to access a whole world of treatment that they can suddenly afford.

With such a groundbreaking model, why isolate it in Tulare, California, a population hovering under 60,000? Wenbo thought this through as well!

“Most startups choose big cities, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, to be in these financial mega-hubs. But, I think you have to go where the business is; where the supply and demand offers you the best rate of return for your investment. Here in the Central Valley there’s such a high demand for healthcare. And there’s such a low supply that when you go in and you start innovating, then you are really able to not only change the landscape of healthcare, but you’re also able to make a very big, meaningful impact on your community as well.”

Over 100,000 free deliveries have been made since the program launched and over $75,000 of prescriptions have been filled using Cherry Care which is approximately $1.25 per capita in the entire city to keep a community healthy and a profitable enterprise going.

Recently, Cherry Street was able to assist a resident at a nursing home adjacent to one heavily impacted by COVID-19. No one in the home could get out to access patient medications. Cherry Street’s doctor was able to visit at no cost and get her the diabetic-insulin treatment she needed while covering the $500 copay.

On all levels, personal and community, the Cherry Street model is providing positive benefits. And Wenbo doesn’t see the advancement of health services stopping any time soon.

“Not long from now, our health monitoring apps will be connected to our healthcare providers,” says Wenbo. “So, if your kidneys are starting to fail, or you’re getting a build-up of cholesterol, the network can notify us and you’ll get a call from our providers. They’ll say, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Is it not working for you?’ And they can make adjustments before there are problems.”

“I know this sounds like something from the future, but it’s all possible right now, today, and with enough attention, it can be available globally,” states Wenbo. “That’s why I’m marketing a raise on MicroVentures; I want the world to know these innovations are coming and cannot be stopped. I want partners, I want people who believe like I do, that we don’t have to wait for politicians, or enormous medical institutions, or the entire healthcare industrial complex to start doing the right thing. It’s up to us and now is the time.”

Invest in Cherry Street to Make Healthcare More Accessible and Affordable

Our MicroVentures campaign just launched and is available to review!

Important to note are all the nuanced adjustments to the care delivery model and our profound impact on profitability. Further expansion plans for our pharmacy model include adding licensed physicians to our network and providing care while expanding our locations into communities that share the economic need for services.

Explore the campaign page, ask questions, and subscribe to our updates!

If you choose to invest, Wenbo would like to thank you personally, so be sure to include why you invested and he’ll reach out to thank you.

If you have any questions, reach out to us!