Helping patients at the counter and in the community
Walgreens awards pharmacy manager Loza Theodros for vaccinating underserved areas in her community against COVID-19, and tirelessly serving her patients at the HIV-specialized pharmacy where she works.
Elyse Russo, Walgreens Stories
When a COVID-19 vaccine finally became available for the masses, Loza Theodros sprang into action. As the pharmacy manager of a HIV-specialized pharmacy in South Los Angeles, she knew there would be questions and anxiety swirling around her community.
“Vaccine hesitancy is a big deal in Black and Brown communities, and we were able to address real concerns that they had,” Theodros says.
When Walgreens’ bus-turned-COVID vaccine center rolled into her neighborhood, she followed it into socially vulnerable areas to serve as a resource for residents.
“Having pharmacists on site was really beneficial,” she says. “Being able to explain the why and the how behind the vaccine helped mitigate a lot of the worries and the concerns the community had. It takes a whole team to do that. To be able to deliver those outcomes and give people a good experience is an important thing that my team prides ourselves on.”
The work Theodros put in to help vaccinate her community against COVID-19 is just one of the many reasons she recently won Walgreens’ Champion of Champions Award for Pharmacy Customer Care in addition to the Pinnacle Award, which is the company’s top honor for any team member.
“One of the main reasons she was nominated is because she shows extreme care for not only us as her team, but also for her patients,” says pharmacy operations manager Jessica Valladares.
The pharmacy where Theodros and Valladares work is located next to a local AIDS clinic, so they are able to work closely with the clinic’s HIV-positive patients on managing their medications. Her “patients” even include The Old Gays, a group of TikTok stars who have two openly HIV-positive members. During the summer, she recorded a video spot helping them use Walgreens digital prescription services.
“Loza is very knowledgeable,” says pharmacist Esther Chiu. “She's very fun to be around. She's a great leader and is always willing to listen to patients and team members. She always puts whoever's in front of her first.”
