When a local pharmacist Justo ‘Bill’ Noriega, opened a small drugstore on Brandon Boulevard in 1956, he could not have known it would one day care for four generations of the same families. Seventy years later, Bill’s Prescription Center is still doing just that, and the family-owned pharmacy is inviting the community to celebrate.
The pharmacy will host a Community Wellness Celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 7, at its location at 202 E. Brandon Blvd. in Brandon. The free event will bring together local health care providers, wellness businesses, longtime customers and neighbors for a day focused on health, education and connection.
Visitors can receive free health screenings, including blood pressure and glucose checks, as well as flu shots. Local health and wellness vendors will be on hand, along with giveaways, raffle prizes and family-friendly activities. The day will also include a special tribute to the pharmacy’s founder and to the patients, employees, health care professionals and community members who have been part of its history.
Chelsea Noriega West, the founder’s granddaughter and the daughter of the pharmacy’s current owner, said her grandfather’s philosophy of treating every patient like family remains at the heart of the business.
“My grandfather could never have imagined in 1956 that the small pharmacy he opened would become part of the lives of so many Brandon families,” she said. “We have cared for grandparents, parents, children and now grandchildren of many of the same families who first walked through our doors decades ago.”
Now a three-generation family business, Bill’s Prescription Center has remained independent through seven decades of change in the health care industry. Noriega West said the anniversary is about more than the passage of time.
“It is a celebration of the people who have trusted us with their care, the dedicated staff members who have served generations of families and a community that has supported a local independent pharmacy,” she said.
As health care continues to evolve, she added, the family hopes its story highlights the lasting value of accessible, personal, community-based care and the vital role local providers continue to play in the lives of Brandon residents.
For more information about the celebration, call Bill’s Prescription Center at 813-277-8242.
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