By Danielle Pierce 

The East End’s community pharmacy will continue its mission of accessible, compassionate care following a newly finalized agreement for VCU Health to acquire Hope Pharmacy. 

In late January, VCU Health and Hope Pharmacy completed the purchase agreement, ensuring that the community resource will remain open and continue serving residents with the same trusted team in place. The pharmacy, which will now operate as VCU Health Hope Pharmacy, marks an important step in expanding the health system’s impact in the East End. 

“With its strong commitment to healthy communities and high-quality care, Hope Pharmacy is a natural fit for VCU Health and aligns well with our mission,” said Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health. “We are thrilled to welcome the compassionate team led by Dr. Brown into our academic health system where we can grow and learn together.” 

A history rooted in caring for Richmond’s East End 

Hope Pharmacy was founded in 2019 by Shantelle Brown, PharmD., a Richmond native who returned home after earning her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Howard University. After working in a couple of different pharmacies, Brown began envisioning what a community-centered pharmacy could look like, one that focused on education and personalized care. 

With support from her family and mentor, Brown opened Hope Pharmacy on April 29, 2019, inside The Market at 25th. The pharmacy quickly became a trusted, familiar resource for East End residents. 

Dr. Brown wears a facemask while standing in the pharmacy Caption: Hope Pharmacy played a critical role in distributing vaccines to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Hope Pharmacy thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a vaccination hub for the community. However, with increasing operating costs and changes within the pharmacy sector, Brown began searching for new ways to continue providing services and education for the community.  

She turned to the pharmacy’s landlord, Steve Markel, who encouraged her to reach out to a longtime community partner: Sheryl Garland, VCU Health’s chief of health impact. 

A shared vision to meet community needs 

Garland, who played a central role in establishing the VCU Health Hub at 25th, understood how important Hope Pharmacy was to the neighborhood. The Hub, located adjacent to the pharmacy, offers prevention screenings, counseling, fitness activities, financial literacy programs and more, making the East End a focal point for VCU Health’s commitment to community wellness. 

With pharmacy deserts already on the rise in Virginia, closing Hope Pharmacy was never an option Brown wanted to consider. 

“Joining forces with Dr. Brown to create the VCU Health Hope Pharmacy only made sense,” Garland said. “There is a shared commitment to ensuring East End residents have access to care and services in their community.” 

Garland and Brown first met in February 2024 to explore possibilities. After that initial conversation, Garland contacted her colleague, Matthew Jenkins, PharmD., chief pharmacy officer for VCU Health, to determine how the health system could support the pharmacy’s future. 

A strong partnership already in motion 

Even before discussions about the pharmacy began, VCU Health, Virginia Commonwealth University and Hope Pharmacy shared strong ties centered on community health. 

• VCU Health Hub at 25th, located steps away from the pharmacy, offers a wide range of health education and wellness programs tailored to East End residents. 
• Hope Pharmacy serves as a training site for VCU School of Pharmacy, where students and faculty from the Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation collaborate on initiatives such as blood pressure monitoring and research on hypertension management. 

This longstanding partnership created a natural foundation for the transition. 

What’s next for VCU Health Hope Pharmacy? 

For customers, the most important question remains simple: Will you still be here? 

“The answer is yes,” Brown said. “It’s about trust and maintaining that trust with our patients and community is very important.” 

From left to right: Shantelle Brown, Pharm.D., founder of Hope Pharmacy; Sierra Johnson, certified pharmacy technician; and Donna E. Thomas, PharmD., staff pharmacist. (Contributed photo)

Brown will continue leading the pharmacy as its primary operator, and all staff members will remain in place. 

The focus right now is on making the transition seamless for patients and staff. The next step is taking a look at systems and processes. 

“It’s important that our medication access and pharmacy services continue to meet our community and patients where they are at, both physically and in their healthcare journey. We are looking forward to integrating Hope Pharmacy into our pharmacy services,” Jenkins said. “The pharmacy will operate like our other locations and will benefit from being part of an academic health system. At the same time, we’re excited to learn from the Hope team.” 

For now, Brown is filled with gratitude for those who helped make the transition possible. 

“I’m grateful for the team at VCU Health,” she said. “Dr. Jenkins was committed to carrying out the operations of this task, but I also want to make sure that I specifically credit Steve [Markel] and Sheryl [Garland]. None of this would be possible without them and I am so thankful for both of them.” 

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