Geriatric Pharmacy Opens on Mill Street

There is a new pharmacy in Tehachapi. Located on South Mill Street right across the street from Saint Malachy's Catholic Church is Agia Pharmacy & Cafe, a new independent pharmacy which is part of the Health Mart Pharmacy network of over 3000 independent pharmacies nationwide.

Agia is operated by Amira Michael, Pham.D. She is Tehachapi's first board certified geriatric pharmacist and can accept most insurance carriers. She also offers compounding services and free pick up and delivery. The small friendly neighborhood pharmacy has no lines and offers a coffee and snack area where patrons can sit at a table and sip coffee while waiting for their prescriptions. Amira said that she likes being able to meet and council patients face to face.

Dr. Amira Michael is a Coptic Christian who was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to the United States with her family when she was in middle school. Her family settled in Massachusetts. After high school, Amira joined the National Guard and her unit was activated and deployed after 9/11. She served in Operation Enduring Freedom and was sent to Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Following her tour of duty she returned to college. She did her undergraduate work at Salem College in Massachusetts and received her graduate degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. She is not the only pharmacist in her family. Her mother and sister are pharmacists in Florida.

She met her husband through mutual friends. He is also from Egypt but came to California when his family immigrated to the United States. The couple made their home in Los Angeles but the traffic bothered her. Amira said that she lasted less than a year there. In 2008, Amira was contracted by Walgreens Pharmacy and they moved to Bakersfield. In addition, she was pharmacist for the North Kern State Prison in Wasco.

She has worked with CVS in Bakersfield and at Kern Medical Center/Mercy Hospital where she is still on staff part time.

The cafe part of her business evolved from her love of coffee. "I drink lots of coffee", she says. She also has sweets andsnacks available and plans to add items from her neighbor, Mill Street Kitchen. An added appeal, she discovered, is her proximity to the Pokestop across the street at St.Malachy. You can keep up with Agia Pharmacy and Cafe and Dr. Michael on her Facebook page.