Dooley Pharmacy
“We Care for Your Health”
4120 S 25th W Ave
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74107
918-446-9438
Bill Pittman, Registered Pharmacist

Local RX Delivery Available
Honoring most 3rd Party and Medicaid Plans

Dooley Pharmacy Continues Westside Traditions
Margarett Zulpo Tulsa World 10/26/1994
Customers usually don't have to stay long at Dooley Pharmacy.  They hang around because they want to.  The reason is because Bill Pittman, owner of Dooley's, keeps
customers entertained.  `It's named Dooley because Thomas A. Dooley originally owned
it,` Pittman said. `We kept the name because everyone here was so familiar with it.`

Dooley Pharmacy has been around since 1930, originally located  at West 22nd Street and Southwest Boulevard, which used to be Quanah Avenue. The pharmacy then moved to where O'Reilly Automotive is now located at 2420 W. 41st St. There, the building collapsed, so Pittman moved Dooley's to the shopping center at 4120 S. 25th West Ave.
Purchasing the pharmacy in the 1960s, Pittman began making himself known to the community. Today, he's filling prescriptions
for fourth-generation Dooley Pharmacy patrons.  `I know everybody's grandkids now,` Pittman said. `The people are the best here. It has a small-town atmosphere. I was
raised on a farm in Independence, Kan. I like it that people know each other around here.`
For proof Pittman took a phone call for a lady who lived across the street from the pharmacy.  `She doesn't have a phone so someone called here to tell her something,` he said. `We'll give her the message.`

After the phone call, Marie Rogers came in, asking Pittman to list her prescriptions for the past year. She also had a new prescription to fill, and Pittman asked her if she wanted the medication in generic drugs. `If you think it's as good,` Rogers said. `I trust your judgment.
`My husband and I used to live here in Tulsa. We traded with Bill and then we moved to Oklahoma City. We came back five years later and came back to Dooley's.`
Rogers now lives in Bristow but regularly visits Dooley Pharmacy because Pittman and his staff are part of her family.  `Once I got bit on my arm by something,` Rogers said. `I took my prescription to another pharmacy. The druggist wouldn't tell me what the medicine would do to me. So I came over here and asked Bill, and he told me.  `I can take his word for everything. He doesn't hold anything
back and tells me exactly what the medicine's for.`

Pittman said, `Doctors are a little different than they used to be. They're more busy and they don't always know what other medications a patient is taking. `Our computers are great because we can tell everything a person is taking and what they took three years ago. So we tell customers about possible side effects and mixing medications.`

Although small, Dooley Pharmacy serves between 300 and 400 customers throughout the Tulsa area. Pittman delivers to all parts of the city and even sends prescriptions by mail
to loyal customers as far away as Kansas. His store is open six days a week.  During time off, he serves on the boards of Southwest Tulsans
and the Southwest Rotary Club and on the advisory council of Reed Park Club.

`Actually I got roped into working with Reed Park because they wanted somebody who was working with the weights,` Pittman said. `I quickly found that I thoroughly enjoy it.
We have dances for the middle school kids, Easter egg hunts and Christmas parties for needy kids. I love being with the kids.`
Pittman and his wife, Shirley, have three daughters and three grandsons. He plans to keep the pharmacy running because he wants his grandsons to work there. `When we first started at the store, our girls were in diapers,`Pittman said. `We'd put them in a playpen in the store and customers would come in and spoil them. When they got older, I made them all work here. So I don't want the boys to miss out. They'll love it.
`We're also a preceptor for pharmacy students interning. That's another rewarding part of the job, to be able to help young students learn through practical experience.

We work in a diversified education program at Webster where high school students also work here. I never had a bad student work here.` To round out his life at Dooley Pharmacy, Pittman and his wife enjoy traveling to market to pick out knickknacks and personal items to sell in the store. They sell Fenton glass and Roman collectibles, and they also have a large collection of mortars and pestles from around the world. `With all this other stuff I do, I guess I enjoy my work
the most,` he said. `To be able to help people is the greatest reward, and to know you've made a difference in the quality of their lives and their health.`

Communication Is The Key at Dooley Pharmacy
Juanita Crawford Muiga
10/29/1997
Pharmacies across the nation recently celebrated National Pharmacy Week from October 20-27 and communication was a major focus of the event. Customers were encouraged to talk to their pharmacist not just that week but every week of the year. "Unless they talk, we don't know if they understood what we said," explained Bill Pittman of Dooley Pharmacy, 4120 S. 25th West Ave. "Patients should ask their pharmacist the purpose of the medicines they purchase, how long they should take the medicine and whether there are any side effects," added Pittman.

 Pittman said customers should also ask their pharmacist about the time of day to take their medicine and whether or not they should take the medicine with food, water or milk. There are some antibiotics you can't take with milk or food, said Pittman. Women should inquire whether they should take medicine if they're pregnant or breast-feeding, said Pittman. Pittman discussed some of the consequences of not filling a prescription. For example, untreated blood pressure can result in stroke, kidney damage or heart disease, he said. By not taking the whole prescription, the patient allows the bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic and the physician has to find another antibiotic to treat the patient, explained Pittman. "The bacteria eventually gets stronger than the antibiotic," said Pittman. "You should take every dose that's prescribed," he said.  

Pharmacists today have expanded their role in serving customers.  In the 1950s, pharmacists primarily took the prescription and measured how many pills were supposed to be there, said Pittman.  Pharmacists were mostly dispensers, he said, noting that pharmacists in the past were discouraged from discussing the nature of the medicine. In the past, if customers inquired about a medicine, they were told the medicine was used for many things, said Pittman. "We've gone from that into a counselor-type position where we talk to a patient about their condition," said Pittman.
"When we wouldn't talk to them, I'm sure there was a lot of distrust," he added.  

For National Pharmacy Week, Pittman gave free blood pressure tests Saturday and encouraged people to communicate about the medicines Dooley Pharmacy carries. Pittman is not just a pharmacist but a friend to his customers, said one customer who waited in front of the counter while Pittman served another. Pittman has owned Dooley Pharmacy since 1962 where he has been delivering prescriptions to those who cannot come on their own. Medicine has come a long way since Pittman started out in pharmacy in the early 1950s. Since then, some 400 newer  antibiotics have come into existence and are more effective than the ones in the past, noted Pittman. Penicillin was $3.50 a tablet in those days, remembered Pittman. However, today it's less than 20 cents a tablet, he said.

When asked how poor people afforded the antibiotic, he said there has always been some way of getting medicine to the indigent people. "I always tell everyone who works here that the Lord always provides," said Pittman. Dooley Pharmacy has stood on a number of sites since leaving its original location at 1716 South Quannah in 1923. Then owned by Chas H. ("Doc") Selsor, the pharmacy was known as Oklahoma Pharmacy. Thomas A. Dooley purchased the pharmacy in 1934 and moved it to 2201 South Quannah which is now Southwest Boulevard. Dooley relocated once again before Pittman purchased it in 1962 and the pharmacy was moved once more after a building collapse and a fire.
Today, the pharmacy still sits at its current 4120 South 25th West Ave., address. Pittman said he kept the name Dooley Pharmacy because everyone knew it as that. "I felt honored that he would let me continue to operate under his name," Pittman said of Dooley. Now 74 years in operation, the pharmacy values not only customer service but relationships. "We care for your health" is the
pharmacy's slogan. The pharmacy has been a second home not only to Pittman but to his wife, Shirley, and their three daughters.

His wife and daughters have all worked in the business and his daughters grew up in the pharmacy, he said.  Customers used to come in and play with the children who were in the play pen at the pharmacy, said Pittman. During that time, the pharmacy was at a corner location and they had a soda fountain, he said. The pharmacist profession has come a long way. In early times, pharmacists only went to school for one year, said Pittman. There was very little licensing of pharmacists in those days, he said. However, today, pharmacists must graduate from an  accredited school of pharmacy. In addition, they need 15 hours of continuing education per year. Pharmacies are also inspected regularly by the State Board of Pharmacy, said Pittman.

 

Police Catch Suspects In Pharmacy Robbery KTUL8 021310
posted 02/13/10 6:44 pm   producer: Dan Phillips
Tulsa - Two suspects in a Saturday morning robbery in southwest Tulsa are in custody hours after they allegedly commit a crime.  Marquis Devers,21, and Kenneth Hopkins, 20, were arrested after a traffic stop. Tulsa Police Sargent David Walker said the two are connected with a number of robberies, including one Saturday at the Dooley Pharmacy near 41st and Southwest Blvd. 

Owner Bill Pittman was inside his store about 9:45 when 4 men came inside dressed all in black. They went for the store's supply of prescription drugs. At least three of them were carrying guns.   "That was really scary. Not for anything in the store, because nothing's worth anyone getting hurt." 

Thankfully, no one was injured. The robbers did get away with cash from the register and drugs. Pittman said that the store has been serving the west side since 1958 and has been the target of crime before.  "We don't have that much stock in the store, but that doesn't keep them from trying," he said of the people who have broken in over the years. "It's just unfortunate that people are no longer responsible for their actions. The whole premise of taking something from someone else that doesn't belong to you is contrary to what most of us believe."

This is the first time in a while that the store has been robbed at gunpoint, Pittman said. Bars on the windows and security cameras have been put in over the years to deter crime. After Saturday's incident, he says he will be forced to put a lock on the front door and "buzz" customers in.  "I've been doing pharmacy for a lot of years, and I never thought it would be coming to that, but it has obviously.

In addition to the added chore of dealing with bad guys, Pittman is committed to keeping his business open.   "The public is still here to be served, and we're still here to serve them. Hopefully, for many years to come."

Tulsa police are looking for 4 black male suspects in the crime. Security cameras were able to capture images of the young men, all believed to be between 16 and 20 years old.  If you have information about this incident, call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.

The Dooley Pharmacy robbery comes after a Broken Arrow Walgreen's was held up at gunpoint by one man. Earlier this week, a Drug Warehouse - also in Broken Arrow - was robbed by a lone suspect.  Police also arrested a 3rd robbery suspect Saturday. Jashawn Henderson, 26, is in jail on robbery complaints. He is accused of robbing the Walgreens near 31st and Harvard back on January 17th.

Pharmacy hosting art event next week By World's own Service 5/1/2002
Dooley Pharmacy will host a Fenton Art Glass event from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 9 at 4120 S. 25th West Ave. Come to learn about Fenton Art Glass Company and the fascinating story of handcrafted American glass artistry since 1905. A Fenton manufacturer's representative will be on hand. There will be a Fenton video shown on glass making and a raffle for a Fenton door prize. Also, there will be an opportunity to purchase an event exclusive, topaz blue overlay 6 and one-half inch vase with, Scott Fenton's signature. Three generations of Fenton family members remain active in the business and are proud to continue an American glass making tradition. For more information about Fenton visit www.FentonArtGlass.com. For more information concerning the event, call 446-4524.

 


 

A Date with Betty, Pharmacy Ready for Cartoon Comeback
Stephen W. Gay
02/12/1997
Boop-Oop-A-Doop. Betty wants you to come to Dooley Pharmacy this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to pose with her in pictures
that will help benefit the American Heart Association.  Cardboard standups of the squeaky-voiced cartoon flapper are striking a pose and ready for people to join them in Valentine's photos to be snapped at the pharmacy, 4120 S. 25th West Ave., which is owned by Shirley and Bill Pittman.  `We've been doing Betty Boop related things in the pharmacy for years now,` Bill said. `Last year we did a Betty Boop promotion but this is the first year for the standups.

`People can have their pictures made with the Betty Boop standups, and we will donate a portion of the money to the American Heart
Association since this is American Heart Month.`  Bill said in Southwest Tulsa there has been a recent resurgence of Boop fans which he said was initially made up of older people but has now turned into a younger following. `Ten years ago we promoted Betty Boop around Valentine's Day and were amazed at the interest -- mostly from people in their 60s,`  Bill said. `The last couple of years teen-age girls have become interested in her.  `It's the nostalgia.

People like the simpler times before there
were things like computers,` Bill said. `They remember as youths going to movies that were 50 cents and lasted the entire afternoon.` Bill supported his findings on the resurrection of Boop's popularity by producing a volume of `Betty's Bazaar,` an annual magazine he receives that contains the latest boop on the sultry star.

An article on a summer Betty Boop Festival in California is featured in the publication, as well as a story about the first in a chain of licensed Betty Boop Cafes scheduled to open in New York City during 1997.  The magazine also pictures Boop sportswear, computer accessories, figurines and cards.

Betty Boop was created in 1930 by Max Fleischer and ran as an animated feature until 1939. There were 112 cartoons in her series
and she appeared in her own comic strip in 1934. Though everyone knows Betty as a voluptuous young woman with an hourglass figure and short jet-black hair, Bill will be quick to remind people that she is now a senior citizen who last year officially received her Social Security card from TV weatherman
Willard Scott.

Though Betty Boop is the star of the show, Dooley Pharmacy creates the perfect backdrop for her upcoming picture shoot with its rich
history in Southwest Tulsa.  Bill said the Westside drugstore has been in existence since 1932, where it was once located at 2201 S. Quanah Ave. The pharmacy was moved to 41st Street and 25th West Ave. in the 1940s. `We bought it in 1962 from Mr. Dooley when we heard he was retiring,` Bill said. `It had always been a dream of mine since pharmaceutical school to own my own pharmacy.`

At one time the pharmacy had a marble-top soda fountain and embossed tin ceilings, Bill said. He now has the fountain and other fixtures in storage. The pharmacy collapsed in 1963 or '64, Bill said, and was being reconstructed at the same time a new building was being erected
within a half-block of the fallen structure.
He opted to relocate the drugstore in the new building, which proved to be a good move. `The old building burned in 1965,` Bill said.
Dooley Pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Pittman Bill in article about pseudoephedrine 041104
Medicine comes off shelves   
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer   4/11/2004
A new law restricts the sale of pseudoephedrine to stop flow of meth ingredient.   As Oklahomans wait in line at their pharmacies, present their identification and sign logs just to get some cold and allergy tablets, they will be doing their part in the state's war against methamphetamine.  A law, signed by Gov. Brad Henry last Wednesday, restricts the sale of pseudoephedrine, which is the chief ingredient of meth and of many popular decongestants like Sudafed and Claritin-D.  "There are some inconveniences, but they are minor considering the benefits we hope to see in the near future," said Lonnie Wright, director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.

Oklahoma has seen a 12,000 percent increase in the number of meth lab seizures over the past 10 years, ranking it third in the nation behind Missouri and California, bureau spokesman Mark Woodward said. It ranks first in the country for the number of meth labs per capita.   With the law, which is the first of its kind in the United States and which went into effect immediately, authorities believe Oklahoma will drop in those rankings.   "In my opinion, we will see a dramatic decrease in the number of labs," Wright said. "It will take some time for the supplies that have been stockpiled in barns and sheds to dry up."  But then, he said, "Addicts will have a harder time buying or stealing what they need."

Consumers who want the tablet form of pseudoephedrine will find it only behind pharmacy counters. Convenience stores and other retail outlets have had to take it off their shelves.   Buyers must show photo identification and sign a registry to ob tain the tablets.  They also are limited to 9 grams of the drug or about 300 30-mg tablets in any 30-day period. It would take between 600 and 900 tablets to cook up half an ounce of meth.

The new law does not apply to the drug in liquid or gel-cap forms because they cannot be turned into meth. "The limit is still more medicine than anyone could possibly need for any legitimate reason," Woodward said.   Those who ask for the maximum amount each month could come under suspicion, he said.  The bureau is developing the software for a statewide database to track purchases of the drug. It should be finished in less than a year.   There will be a greater focus during meth investigations to find the source of the pseudoephedrine to close up any supply loopholes, Woodward said.   Possessing or selling more than the limit of the drug would be a felony. Anyone caught bringing back large amounts from other states could face drug trafficking charges.   "We are serious about enforcing this law," Woodward said. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task forces throughout the state will help.   "I'm sure someone out there will try to circumvent the law, and we will catch them," he said.  Shoppers at a Tulsa Walgreens recently said they weren't too concerned about the restrictions.  "I usually can't find what I'm looking for anyway, so I have to ask the pharmacist," said Chris Thomas. "It's not going to be much different for me I guess."

Barbara Stevens said the new law's benefits will likely outweigh the inconveniences.   "I don't mind standing in line if it means that it will keep those tablets from being used for the wrong reason," she said.  Convenience stores and other retail outlets have 30 days to sell back their pseudoephedrine tablets to their distributors or turn them over to authorities. But they had to stop selling them immediately.  "I don't think this will have a big economic impact on us since we can still sell the liquids and the gel-caps," said Vance McSpadden of the Oklahoma Petroleum Marketers Association and the Oklahoma Association of Convenience Stores.   Authorities have said that meth addicts have been buying the tablets in bulk from convenience stores. "We have an epidemic going on," McSpadden said. "I think it's a shame we can't put a legal product on our shelves. But if this law will help, I know the vast majority of our membership will support it."   harmacies have 60 days to begin complying with the law.

Bill Pittman, owner of Dooley Pharmacy at 4120 S. 25th West Ave., said he put the drugs behind his counter two weeks ago.  "I think this was a good idea," he said. "Everyone will benefit if we can rid the state of methamphetamine."   Walgreens is in the process of bringing its 62 Oklahoma locations into compliance.   "We expect to do that quickly," said spokesman Michael Polzin, adding that the law involves 100 products the chain carries.   The 35 May's Drug and Drug Warehouse locations in Oklahoma put their pseudoephedrine tablets in locked cases about three months ago to curb theft.  "They would come in and take all of the boxes on the shelves," company President Gerald Heller said. "We had to do something."   Jim Brown, owner of Freeland-Brown Pharmacy at 41st Street and Peoria Avenue, said it is a pharmacist's obligation to protect the public.   For years, Brown has limited his customers to two packages of the drug at a time.   "We need to do everything we can to keep these tablets out of the wrong hands," he said. "I don't know if this law will work or not, but it's worth a shot."  As science advances, the restrictions may not be necessary, Woodward said. The drug company Pfizer is reportedly working on a "molecular-lock" tablet that would prevent the pseudoephedrine from being extracted to make meth.  Other states looking to follow Oklahoma's lead include Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Iowa.    Brian Barber 581-8322   brian.barber@tulsaworld.com  

Special Delivery from the Heart, Home Service More than Business for Longtime Westside Pharmacists
Juanita Crawford Muiga, Tulsa World 03/05/1997
Two Southwest Tulsa pharmacists are providing a service that makes life easier for senior citizens and others who can't pick up vital medications themselves.

Ken's Pharmacy owner Dee Ridgway and Dooley Pharmacy owner Bill Pittman both knew when they bought their businesses that they would
make free home deliveries and started the service to fill what they saw as a need. According to Jerry Koester, an official with the State Board of
Pharmacies, the practice of making home deliveries is not that common. However, it's not uncommon, he added.  Home deliveries were done more in the past, and are not seen as much as they used to be, Koester said.  Ridgway and Pittman both start busy days behind counters in front of packed shelves of small bottles, walking through narrow aisles of loaded medicine shelves to fill prescriptions.

Even though they endure long hours standing in a tight space, they greet their customers with a smile and friendly conversation. "There are a lot of senior citizens who are homebound or unable to drive and need our services," Ridgway said regarding the home delivery service he offers.

Located at 3319 W. 45th St., Ken's Pharmacy has been in Southwest Tulsa since 1980, said Ridgway who bought the business late in 1990.  Ridgway, a graduate of Webster High School, said he knew since his days there that he would be in the pharmacy business.  His pharmacy started out making deliveries to those who needed it, he said, including senior citizens in nursing homes and private homes and physically challenged persons.  He has now extended the service, and Ken's is delivering to people on their jobs if they are not able to pick it up, he said.

Ridgway said the pharmacy absorbs the cost of its free delivery service with increased business. The pharmacy makes some 20 deliveries per day, he said. With both a morning and afternoon delivery, Ed Hendrickson, Ridgway's retired
uncle, delivers medicine to residents in Tulsa, Sapulpa, Prattville, and other areas as well.   A college student makes the runs on Saturdays, Ridgeway said.  Although they mainly stay within a five-mile radius, there are some exceptions, said Ridgway, who also makes deliveries. They
have traveled as far as Glenpool to make deliveries. "Response of customers has been very good, very positive, he said.  "That's our best advertisement -- is satisfied customers. If they're satisfied, they'll tell the others," he said.

Dooley Pharmacy owner Pittman shares Ridgway's sentiments on the pharmacy business and home deliveries. "It was always my position to own a pharmacy," he said. "It put me in a position to help people on a more regular basis. It let me do things the way I felt they should be done," said Pittman. "That's been my sole objective since graduating from pharmacy school."

He has owned Dooley Pharmacy, 4120 S. 25th West Ave., since 1962, and has been delivering ever since to those who cannot come on their own.  "There are many people that don't have access to automobiles," he said. One of the first things the elderly have to give up is their driver's license or their car, he said. He also noted there are people who don't have transportation
because of economic reasons.

Pittman recalled one incident in which customers from Southwest Tulsa walked to Dooley's in January. Some people don't have the mode of transportation that we take for granted, he said.
"We're filling a niche." Dooley Pharmacy makes 15 to 16 deliveries a day to supervised living residents, private homes, senior citizens and the physically limited, he said. They cover a region which includes the Southwest Tulsa and the Tulsa metropolitan area as well as Sapulpa, Prattville, Glenpool, Broken Arrow and Jenks. Pittman said he knew before he bought the pharmacy that he would make home deliveries. "Knew that's the kind of person I would be," he smiled. "You know
how you think pharmacy ought to be practiced," he said. "That's the reason I went in to it. I saw a need for those that were infirmed and unable to come to the store. I felt like we should feel that need," he said.  He also explained he saw a need for customers to receive information concerning their prescriptions, adding that's why the pharmacy always makes a practice of providing information.

Pittman also goes the extra mile out of concern for his customers. He recalled how once a support person went to make a delivery and
came back with it undelivered when he couldn't find the address.  He thought the delivery could be made the next day, Pittman said.  Pittman explained that this experience reinforced his belief that only he or a pharmacy technician should make the deliveries.

Relationships are important to Pittman, too. He recalled how one man's light bulb had burned out. "I got to change that for him," he laughed.  He understands the needs of older people. "They don't need  anything very major, they just need someone to ask questions or just listen to," said Pittman. "That's something we need to do more of, especially we that are in the health profession."
The busy schedule of pharmacy life and home deliveries has not taken Pittman away from his family either. They were supportive, he said, recalling how his three daughters grew up in the pharmacy. 

"We used to load up in the station wagon to make deliveries," he said, adding one of his daughters has decided to become a nurse.  Pittman said that being able to make deliveries to customers also
enables him to find out their fears, share in their difficulties and help them solve problems. "In doing that it's been a most rewarding career," he said. "How many people can be a part of so many families?" he asked. "If I had to do it again I would never, never change."