2022 Wisconsin – Thad Schumacher
Thad Schumacher, PharmD
Pharmacist/Owner, Fitchburg, Wis.
Fitchburg Family Pharmacy
Wisconsin pharmacist and independent pharmacy owner Thad Schumacher has made it his mission to bring down barriers to care for patients in his community. This dedication was especially important during the COVID pandemic, when he innovated to ensure that his patients could access testing, and eventually vaccines. Noting that there was “no rule book or precedent for” how to respond to COVID, Thad and his team nonetheless came up with a plan, even though it felt like “building the plane while we were flying it.” Thad worked diligently with state, county and local authorities to provide no-appointment, curbside testing – and eventually vaccination – to the metro area, even petitioning the city of Fitchburg to put up no parking signs near his store so patients and customers could have better access. During this time, he tripled his staff as cars lined up outside the store every day before opening. In total, Thad and his team administered more than 75,000 COVID-19 PCR tests. He even brought PCR testing into local classrooms, thus helping students to attend in person – safely. Thad remains proud of how he and his team brought down barriers to care during the pandemic – and how they continue to do so today, through their ongoing, regular services, such as delivery to homebound patients and to those who lack transportation.
Contact: tschumacher@fitchburgfamilyrx.com