Pharmacist Kyle Dean and his staff offer direct, one-on-one attention to customers at Madison Health Mart Pharmacy and Compounding at 8498 Madison Blvd., Suite A. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – The days when anyone could talk directly to a neighborhood pharmacist have returned with Madison Health Mart Pharmacy and Compounding at 8498 Madison Blvd., Suite A.

Owner and pharmacist Kyle A. Dean wanted his locally-owned store to have “the most individualized care for patients as possible. I want customers to feel welcomed and enjoy the atmosphere my staff and I provide.”

Whether by telephone or in-person, a customer always can talk personally with Dean or a staff member. “If you call our store, you get a live person every time. We provide one-on-one medication counseling and take as much time as needed with each customer,” he said.

Madison Health Mart Pharmacy offers a wide variety of services, from compounded medications to vaccinations, usually in same-day service. “Filling your prescription at an independently owned pharmacy is another way to support small business,” Dean said.

Dean is thankful for his learning experience during pharmacy school internship at large chains and hospitals and later working at chains. “I adopted strengths from each pharmacy I liked … (to improve) this process in my own store,” he said.

Dean graduated from McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University. Pharmacy first attracted him as a 16-year-old stockboy in a Gadsden store. The pharmacist’s compassion for patients and personal relationships sparked his interest in re-creating that environment in his own store one day.

Compounding involves customized medications and medication delivery systems. “If a particular drug isn’t commercially available from a big pharmaceutical company, we often can create that drug or strength,” Dean said. Examples are converting a child’s (or pet’s) antibiotic tablet to liquid and hormone replacement therapies.

After living in Athens, Ga., Kyle and Kay Dean have lived in Madison since 2013. They wanted to live closer to relatives and their hometowns, Gadsden and Centre.

The pharmacy is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A drive-through window is available.

For more information, call 256-325-1139 or visit madisonhealthmartpharmacy.com or Facebook/Madison Health Mart Pharmacy.