2014 Civic Leader of the Year

Civic Leader of the Year

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After working for more than 40 years as a pharmacist, Danny R. Johnson, RPh, still comes to work with a smile on his face every morning, fueled by a deep love for his profession, his patients, and his community.

“Danny is advancing the field of pharmacy by seeing—and seizing— opportunities to positively impact his community at large,” his nominator wrote.

As the owner of Marble City Pharmacy in Sylacauga, Alabama, Johnson takes the time to care for his patients and employees outside of the pharmacy. He offered classes to help his staff manage their finances. The program was so successful that he decided to donate a similar course designed for high school students to 2 local high schools. The course is now offered as part of the curriculum.

Johnson also takes a special interest in the financial needs of his community as a whole. After Congress passed the economic stimulus bill in 2009, he felt the legislation needed to do more to help his community. Taking matters into his own hands, he purchased every $2 bill the local bank could find and gave $600 in $2 bills to each of his fulltime employees on 3 conditions—the money had to be spent in the town, it had to be spent within 3 months, and it had to be in cash.

Within the pharmacy, Johnson and his staff work to overcome barriers to provide patients with the care they need. In 2010, for example, the pharmacy participated in a program with the state board of pharmacy to dispense Tamiflu to patients who needed the medication, free of charge.

As his nominator put it, “Danny’s more than just the kind of pharmacist I want filling my prescriptions. He’s the kind of pharmacist I want everyone to have the opportunity to know.”