Dr. Shadreka McIntosh grew up in the Dunbar community in Fort Myers. The fourth generation resident went to Fort Myers High School before getting a master of science in integrative medicine from George Washington University, and a doctor of pharmacy degree from Florida A&M University. She’s spent the past five years as a pharmacist at the Veterans Affairs clinic in Cape Coral, but has dreamed of opening a pharmacy of her own in the community she grew up in. And now it’s becoming a reality thanks to a $270,000 dollar investment from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, in collaboration with Catalyst Community Capital, Inc. This is the first impact investment from the Community Foundation’s new revolving loan fund. Money that is repaid from these investments or loans is recycled to help other nonprofit and for-profit social entrepreneurs.
The new Sozo Wellness Pharmacy, which will be located on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Veronica Shoemaker Boulevards, will be an integrative pharmacy that seeks to empower people to become whole in mind, body, and spirit through conventional and holistic therapeutic options. It will also provide education on the appropriate use of medications and help to decrease barriers related to medication accessibility, and urgent care visits to minimize emergency room visits. Dr. McIntosh joins us to talk about her plans for the future.
