Working in Clark County, a brief profile of interesting Clark County business owners or a worker in the public, private, or nonprofit sector. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
Patrick Gallaher started thinking about a career in pharmacy because he admired his scoutmaster, who was a pharmacist. Now he likes what he does, and he is working on a plan to change the way some patients are treated. When someone does not need medication any more, that is a good thing. “I love having the chance to contribute to someone’s success,” Gallaher said.
Name: Patrick Gallaher.
Job/employer: Vancouver Clinic.
Age: 48.
Professional background: I was stationed in Germany and Europe from 1985 to 1989, and after my military service, I went to Saint Martin’s University in Lacey. I received a bachelor of science and biology degree there. When I was in Boy Scouts, I admired my scoutmaster, who was a pharmacist. I decided on a pharmacy career. I went to pharmacy school at the University of Washington, graduating in 1995. I have been practicing since then, the past 2½ years at The Vancouver Clinic.
Education: I have bachelor’s degrees in science and biology and pharmacy. This year, I have earned a master of public health degree and a master of business administration.
Most rewarding part of job: When someone has successful treatment. Although from a business standpoint, you like the returning customer. For me, when someone can step away from a problem and not need medication anymore, that is a good thing. I love having the chance to contribute to someone’s success.
Most challenging part of job: It is challenging keeping up with the pace. Reimbursements from insurance companies are less than what they used to be, so to keep a sustainable model, pharmacists need to fill more prescriptions per person per day. The actual number of physical prescriptions we do becomes more challenging. In the early 2000s, the industry standard was about 160 per day per pharmacist, and now we are expected to fill from about 220 to 300 a day. Some of the technological changes have helped speed up the progress, but I would like to be able to spend more time with my patients.
Personal/business philosophy: It is all about the people. At the end of the day, it is all about people. In order to be successful, the key is to focus on people, to understand their needs, treat them with compassion and respect, and it is the most powerful ticket to successful relationships with a customer or patient.
Something you would like to do over: Nothing career-wise. I am very grateful for the doors that have opened up for me. I have learned something from everything I have done. However, on a personal level, I would love to climb Mount McKinley again. My friend and I were climbing the mountain in 2009, and he got altitude sickness and didn’t make it to the summit. I would like to try it again and see if he could do it this time.
Residence: Kalama.
Best feature of my Vancouver/Clark County community: I am lucky I get to compare communities on a regular basis. I think Clark County is really friendly, more so than other places.
What would make your community a better place: It is not unique to Clark County, but if you want to improve a community, I believe you have to enhance school funding. There are always quick fixes, but to improve the general lifestyle of the entire community, you have to invest in the development of children.
Favorite restaurant/pub/coffee shop/store: Saigon Restaurant.
Hobbies: I am a weekend mountain climber and have climbed Mount Rainier, Hood and St. Helens.
Volunteer activities: I was involved with Scouts for a number of years. When I was in the service in Germany, I was a Boy Scout troop leader and it was a lot of fun. I also helped out when my daughters were in Girl Scouts.
Favorite travel destination: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. I was stationed a couple hours north of there, and they have great skiing.
Most interesting book in past 12 months: “Liar’s Poker” by Michael Lewis. The book describes the author’s experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s.
One thing you want to do this year: Spend enough time with my kids to help them keep their grades up.
Something you want to do within five years: “I would like to make it possible for pharmacists in Washington state to dispense and bill an insurance company for the following without a prescription: smoking cessation products, all vaccinations and Naloxone (a drug used to prevent opiate overdoses). Additionally, I would like to make it possible for a pharmacist to act upon a diagnosis from a physician to manage patients at a retail pharmacy. This would exponentially improve access to care without the need for new costly care delivery infrastructure.
One word to describe yourself: Steadfast.
Person you’d most like to meet: I would like to meet Pope Francis sometime. Because of all the stuff happening in the world now, I would like to meet Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
