Nathan Seip, new owner of the Clarissa Drug store, demonstrated their new Telepharmacy system. Customers in Clarissa can video chat with a pharmacist at their Bertha location.
Nathan Seip, new owner of the Clarissa Drug store, demonstrated their new Telepharmacy system. Customers in Clarissa can video chat with a pharmacist at their Bertha location.
Clarissa Drug now part of the Seip family
by Trinity Gruenberg
The former Clarissa Drug store is under new ownership and has a new name, Seip Drug.
Rick and Jane Voge owned and operated Clarissa Drug for over 30 years. They decided it was time to retire and moved to Texas. Over the past year, they have been working with Nathan Seip who purchased the long time pharmacy. It became official on November 21.
Clarissa is now one of the 12 Seip Drug locations that includes: Bertha, New York Mills (first location), Henning, Frazee, Battle Lake, Wadena, Park Rapids, Menagha, Ottertail, Fargo and Moorhead.
“It’s just down the road from Bertha, it’s in our territory and we’ve known Rick for a long time,” said Seip.
Clarissa will not have an on-site pharmacist. They have a system called Telepharmacy where customers can video chat with a pharmacist in Bertha.
“We have a special two-way software to validate the prescription and have live video conferencing with the pharmacist, for consultation,” explained Seip.
The monitor is set up in its own room for privacy.
This is their second location with Telepharmacy. Their Ottertail location has been using the video conferencing and it has been working well.
“Even though there may not be a pharmacist on-site, they are reviewing and checking every prescription. And customers are required to consult with pharmacists before they can receive their prescriptions,” said Seip.
All of the pharmacies are linked together and they can see and fill anyone’s prescription at any of their locations.
The Clarissa location will be accepting credit cards in the near future.
The Clarissa Drug employees Cindy Wagner, Carrie Murch and Kathy VanHeel, are all staying on board. Kathryn VanDenheuvel will also be working at both the Clarissa and Bertha locations. The pharmacists include Jenna Anderson and Joleen Miller.
Over the next few weeks they will be “refreshing” the front of the store and bringing in some new merchandise.
Seip, a Morris native, has been a pharmacist since he graduated from NDSU in 1982.
“I liked science and health and it seemed like a good profession. It seemed like a good idea when I was a junior in high school,” he chuckled.
“Growing up I wanted to be a merchant. My grandfather owned a hardware store and I worked there as a kid and I enjoyed it. I always wanted to run my own stores,” added Seip.
When he is not working, he is relaxing at his home in Ottertail and fishing, ice fishing, riding ATV and boating.
Hours for Seip Drug are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9-10:30 a.m. on Saturday and they are closed on Sunday.