Story by Maya Waid
Photos by Chrissy Wang
In 2012, when Taylor Jones and Jonna Munroe met during a medical mission with the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Ecuador, they never imagined that their experience working through a disaster abroad would one day prepare them for a crisis in their own hometown.
Fast forward twelve years, and Jones and Munroe are now the owners of HealthRidge Pharmacy in Black Mountain, N.C. Like many residents of Western North Carolina, they never imagined how devastating Hurricane Helene would be for their community.
As they scrambled to secure their own home and family, the couple knew they had an entire town depending on them for medical care — at a time when access to medications was more critical than ever.
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When Hurricane Helene made landfall in Black Mountain late on Sept. 26, Jones and Munroe had only done some preparation for what they expected to be heavy rainfall and strong winds.
In Black Mountain, the storm knocked out power lines, closed roads, and left thousands without communication or water in the homes that survived.
When they got on their bikes the next morning to explore what was left of their community, they immediately knew they needed to get to the pharmacy and make a plan. Their priority was to preserve essential medications, including COVID, flu, tetanus vaccines, Ozempic and insulin.
“There was a lot of uncertainty,” Munroe said. “We had $100,000 worth of shots in the fridge that had lost power, and so we moved them all to our house and put them on a generator. You just can’t afford to lose that.”
Jones and Munroe were confident they could deal with the crisis. From medical missions abroad to opening their business just two months before COVID-19, the couple has faced crisis situations before and felt confident in their ability to move forward despite the unknowns.
“No matter how unbelievable things are, you can’t be paralyzed by fear,” Munroe said. “That’s really hard sometimes when you go through things like this, it’s a natural reaction to be frozen by fear.”
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On Saturday, Sept. 28, the pharmacists reopened HealthRidge Pharmacy, relying on a backup generator to keep the lights on and medicines cold.
While their 2-year-old son William played in the back office, his parents worked tirelessly to ensure people could get the medications they needed in the midst of chaos.
With no water, communication, or incoming supplies, the two pharmacists were uncertain about what to expect. They didn’t know if more employees would be able to make it to work or, more importantly, which medications would be in immediate demand after Helene.
With the help of volunteers directing traffic outside, HealthRidge was one of three independent pharmacies to reopen shortly after the hurricane.
Patients waited in the parking lot for over two hours as Jones and Munroe cataloged prescriptions and added more than 60 new patients to their system, which had an online backup. In addition to serving their regular clients, they also took in a local boys’ home, ensuring they all received new prescriptions.
“As an independent business owner, you have to be resourceful, you have to be creative, and you have to kind of just do the best you can in times like this,” Munroe said.
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On Sunday, the couple dropped William off with Jones’ parents in Winston-Salem, allowing them to focus entirely on the community. While they were grateful to have him with them, one of the main challenges in Black Mountain is the lack of childcare for essential workers.
Although the lines were much longer than usual, the Black Mountain community was grateful to have access to essential medications such as blood thinners, insulin, thyroid pills, and treatments for chronic conditions.
“I’ve had multiple people say, ‘We loved you before, but now we really love you,’” Munroe said. “People that have never been here before immediately see the care that we have for people. No matter what, we just give people the benefit of the doubt. We treat them like human beings.”
While some communities saw an increase in looting and theft as acts of desperation after the hurricane, Munroe said Black Mountain was the opposite — people were lending a hand wherever they could in the relief efforts.
That evening, Jones called HealthRidge’s wholesaler to request more medications. Although they used StarLink to send messages to family and friends, their biggest concern wasn’t communication — it was medication.
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When one of their pharmacy technicians, Karia Silver, arrived on Monday after several days of no communication, Munroe broke down in tears — not because they needed the help, but because the HealthRidge team felt more like family than coworkers.
Almost 96 hours after Helene hit, most roads in the area were clear and on Tuesday, Oct. 1, a shipment from the company’s wholesaler arrived carrying more medications to help disseminate to the community.
Once they received the additional supplies, HealthRidge was able to coordinate with local physicians to deliver medication by helicopter to rural parts of the community where people were still unable to leave their homes.
Despite the long hours, daily obstacles, and the uncertainty surrounding the town’s recovery, Jones and Munroe have committed to making sure their community gets the care and medications they need.
“We’re just so committed to pharmacy and medicine and people’s health that we’re willing to do anything and everything that we can,” Jones said. “That’s what inspires us to keep going.”
As Black Mountain begins to recover, Jones and Munroe’s commitment to their patients has been a key part of the community’s efforts to address the crisis. Their decision to stay and serve, despite the challenges, is a reflection of the connection they feel to the town and its people.
“We would never leave,” Munroe said. “That would never cross our minds. We know we serve an important role in the community and we wouldn’t strand our patients. We take our job really seriously and it feels worth it. We support our community and our community supports us.”
