ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — In today’s up and down economy, affordable healthcare is a rare commodity and keeping up with the cost of routine tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar can be stressful.

But Lee Drugs in Robertsdale wants to do something to alleviate that burden by offering free health screenings on Friday, May 13 from 8 a.m. to noon.

With representatives from Abbot Laboratories on hand, there will be screenings for blood pressure, body mass index, LDL, HDL and and total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. All results will be available immediately following the screening and to ensure optimal results, you may choose to fast 9-12 hours before the screening.

“We realize some people may not be able to afford to have these tests done at the doctor's office and for that reason, we wanted to give them an option and let them know we care about their health,” said Donna Brown, manager, pharmacy technician and a daughter of owners William and Betty Rawls.

This is something new the store is doing, Brown said, and anyone who would like to participate in the screenings are encouraged to call for an appointment at (251) 947-7378.

Maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure and cholesterol and learning how to keep those levels down can significantly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, Brown said.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary of business last year, Lee Drugs has seen the city grow and go through many changes and along with the city, their business has grown and adapted to change as well.

“Although we have updated our ways of providing medicine to our customers, one thing has remained constant, our customer service and putting them first. We try to get their prescriptions filled as quick as possible and not make them wait for more than 15 minutes. We want people to come back to us so we try to provide fast, friendly service,” Brown said.

Employing four pharmacists, four pharmacy technicians and six employees waiting on customers, Brown said all of them are like a big family. Brown and her late sister, Susan Rawls Baker, who died earlier this year, have been working for their dad’s store throughout their lives and Brown recently took over management duties while Whitney Baker takes care of the financial aspects.

Employees like pharmacist James Stapleton have been working there for 48 years and Michelle Holston, pharmacy tech, 24 years, while others like pharmacists Melissa Durham Thomas (14 years) and Cleveland Robertson (five years) have been there a shorter time.

Lenora Hedden (eight years) and Jessica Devine (nine years) also work as pharmacy technicians.

Brown said they also have had the privilege of hiring a new pharmacist, Robertsdale native Nicole Hadley Hall, who began in January.

Graduating from Robertsdale High School in 2001 and receiving a doctorate in Pharmacy from Auburn University in 2008, Hadley is thrilled to be working at Lee’s.

“I like the fact I get to have face to face contact with the customers and interact with them and answer their questions. It’s nice to be able to give them personal attention,” said Hall.

The pharmacy program at Auburn lasts seven years and Hall recalls it was very grueling but worth it in the end.

“I did a one year internship in Mobile, Baldwin and Pensacola hospitals and got to work with doctors and pharmacists there. I really enjoyed that but it’s nice to come back home to work,” Hall said.

Previously working at CVS Pharmacy in Robertsdale for the past five years, Hall is married to Kevin and they have a seven month old son, Michael.

One of the major improvements the store has made, Brown said, is the addition of “Rosie”, a storage unit that has 200 cells of medicine.

“We got this in 2004 and it was Susan’s idea. It holds the most popular medicines available on the market and is really helpful to us,” Brown said.

Going the extra mile for the customer is one of the things Brown said they try to concentrate on and making sure they are taken care of. “We will order very specific medicines for our customers and stock them for as long as they need them. Most large chain stores won’t do that. We also added a drive-thru window for additional convenience and that has made a huge difference.”

In addition to filling the customers pharmaceutical needs, Brown said they are trying to attract the younger crowd by carrying an assortment of gifts.

“We know a lot of the younger generation don’t have specific medical needs and don’t come in the store often but we are trying to change that by offering Alabama and Auburn merchandise and gift items they may find in other stores but for much less money. ‘Magnolia Lane’ and ‘coton colors’ are two very popular brands that do a lot of cute Alabama and Auburn gifts. We also are offering ‘Ganz” merchandise as well,” Brown said.

And because Lee Drugs participates in Relay For Life each year, they have an assortment of t-shirts in short sleeve )$15) and long sleeve ($20) varieties of pink and black.

“We believe in giving back to the community and recently sent donated items to the tornado victims in North Alabama,” Brown said.