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By Jeff Moore

Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran in the March/April 2025 edition of the Valley Living magazine, a publication produced bi-monthly by the Valley Times News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the Valley Living magazine, please visit our office at 4002 20th Ave Suite E in Valley.

For 75 years, Hood’s Pharmacy has been more than just a place to fill prescriptions. It has been a cornerstone of the community, a place where generations of families have found care, service and a personal touch often missing in today’s corporate-driven world.

Founded in 1950 by Hugh and Sally Hood, the pharmacy began as a small store on the southern corner of the block where it still operates today. It opened close to the time that the George H. Lanier Memorial Hospital began serving Chambers County.

Hugh, a Fairfax native and graduate of Auburn University’s Pharmacy School (then known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute), returned home after serving in the Air Force at Ardmore, Oklahoma. Together with his wife Sally, they opened the store at a time when independent pharmacies were the heart of local healthcare. 

“The original building has become the Hood’s Christmas Shoppe in recent years,” said Traci Hood, the wife of Hugh’s son, John, who owns the business today.

In those early years, Hood’s Pharmacy was a lifeline for the community. With no large chain stores nearby, customers relied on local pharmacists for both medications and everyday essentials. 

“These were the days before big box stores and most basic health and beauty aids were purchased in the local pharmacy,” Traci noted. 

The work was arduous, requiring pharmacists to compound many medications by hand, and there were no after-hours urgent care clinics. Patients could call their doctors at home, who in turn would phone in prescriptions to Hood’s. 

“The pharmacist would return to the store often in the middle of the night to fill a medicine so the family could avoid the expense of an emergency visit,” she recalled.

A family tradition

Hugh and Sally Hood dedicated their lives to their business, working seven days a week and only closing for Christmas and Easter. 

Their commitment paid off as the pharmacy grew, and in 1964, they built the current building, a state-of-the-art facility for its time, Traci said. The Hood family continued their work, expanding their services and making improvements throughout the decades.

High and Sally’s son, John, literally grew up in the store. 

“They always said he ‘cut his teeth on the cardboard boxes’ in the stockroom of the store,” Traci said. 

Following in his parents’ footsteps, John became a pharmacist, graduating from Samford University in 1982. 

His passion led to the establishment of East Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Inc., which operates within the pharmacy providing home medical equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs and oxygen. 

The store underwent an expansion — enlarging it to 2,400 square feet — to accommodate this new service, celebrating with a grand opening in 1983, complete with a performance by the Brown Brother’s Quartet.

“Hugh continued to work in the pharmacy until his passing in 1998,” Traci said. “Sally continued to work in the pharmacy until her health declined prior to her passing in 2016.”

The Hood family business entered its third generation in 2015 when John and Traci’s daughter, Kirsten, earned her doctor of pharmacy degree from Samford University and joined the pharmacy. 

“She is active in state efforts for Pharmacy Benefit Managers reform to bring patient choice and equitable pharmacy reimbursement policies,” Traci said, noting how their family is advocating for legislation to protect independent pharmacies.

Younger daughter Janna is an RN, BSN, in Birmingham, currently pursuing a doctorate of nurse anesthesia degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Adapting to industry changes

Pharmacy has changed dramatically over the years, and Hood’s Pharmacy has evolved alongside it. 

“Perhaps the biggest changes have been related to the advent of health insurance covering medications,” Traci explained. 

In the early days, patients paid for prescriptions out of pocket. Now, insurance and Pharmacy Benefit Managers control much of the industry, often steering customers toward mail-order services. 

“Now we are battling the middlemen of the insurance coverage payment structure, the Pharmacy Benefit Managers. PBMs are striving to direct pharmacy services to mail order and specialty services touted as cost-saving, but are actually changing the patient’s right to choose and limiting access to prescription services,” Traci noted.

Many states have already passed legislation to prohibit such activity, she noted. 

Hood’s staff is joining other local and state independent pharmacies to try to enact this reform for Alabama. 

“It has been heartening to see our customers fight for their right to keep using local pharmacies,” Traci explained. “A grassroots effort was recently successful in the Alabama Senate and now has proceeded for confirmation from the House of Representatives.

Despite these challenges, Hood’s has remained steadfast in its commitment to personalized service, she said. The pharmacy has embraced modern conveniences such as online refill requests, prescription delivery and dosage packaging while maintaining the warm, customer-focused approach that has defined it for decades.

More than a pharmacy

Hood’s Pharmacy is more than just a place to pick up medication. The store features a carefully curated gift shop, carrying boutique jewelry, inspirational gifts and church supplies, including communion essentials and Bibles. 

In 1991, John and Traci began the Christian Connection bookstore as an expansion of the work and ministry of the family business.

“We love being an in-person source for Bibles, inspirational teaching materials and supplier of church supplies,” Traci said. During the holidays, the Hood’s Christmas Shoppe brings seasonal decor, personalized ornaments and gifts to the community. 

“We offer assistance with shopping selections and free gift wrap, which is something you don’t find in many stores and certainly not shopping online,” she added.

In 2004, the entire store was redecorated and renovated to better facilitate the bookstore area and to enlarge the clinical portion of the prescription pharmacy area.

Deep community ties

Hood’s Pharmacy is woven into the fabric of Valley, not just through the Hood family but through its employees, many of whom have been with the business for decades. 

“Our two most senior employees began working here in their teens,” Traci said. “Beth (Walden) Davis has worked here 41 years, and Pam (King) Hood has worked here 38 years. Paula Maddux has worked here 15 years. Rita Smith has been with the DME side of the business for most of 30 years. Even a younger employee, Chief Pharmacy Technician Courtney Wood, has worked here 20 years.”

This deep-rooted connection extends to the customers as well. 

“It is one of the greatest honors of our business to watch families grow and to continue to serve multiple generations through the years,” Traci noted. “We still have some customers who come in and tell of knowing John’s grandfather and father. We have watched many families into the fourth and fifth generation as they allow us to care for them.”

Beyond providing pharmaceutical services, Hood’s Pharmacy actively supports the community. The business partners with Chattahoochee Hospice, supplying medical equipment to patients in need. 

“We take this role very seriously as a service to the Hospice team and the patients and families in our community,” Traci said. 

The pharmacy also sponsors events such as Pancake Day and contributes to local school and civic initiatives.

“Hood’s is always seeking to support other local community efforts,” Traci added.

Looking ahead

As Hood’s Pharmacy celebrates 75 years, the family remains committed to its mission. 

“Hood’s strives to maintain the motto espoused by Mr. Hugh Hood to be ‘big enough to serve you and small enough to know you,’” Traci said. “Of course, we welcome new customers every day and hope to enrich their lives in some meaningful way.”

The business continues to grow, with efforts to advocate for independent pharmacies and patient rights. 

Hood’s Pharmacy is open six days a week, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, Saturdays.

Customers can access prescription services, individual dose packaging, online refill and messaging and vaccination services.

For the Hood family, running the pharmacy has never been just a job—it is a calling. 

“Especially having the medical equipment business, we are able to continue to take care of many in their homes in their senior years after serving them for many years in the store,” Traci said. “It’s about being there for people, generation after generation.”

After 75 years, Hood’s Pharmacy remains a pillar of the Valley community, proving that while the industry may change, the importance of personal care, family values and community service never goes out of style.