Statesboro pharmacy making hand sanitizer to help community

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - Local pharmacists who are making hand sanitizer say they’re not doing it to make profits, but to help keep their community safe.

Crews at Forest Heights Pharmacy have been as busy with sanitizer as they have been with prescriptions. When the FDA loosened regulations on what pharmacies could make for themselves, they saw a need.

“I just texted some of the doctors and dentists in town who I have their numbers and said, ‘I can make some for y'all if you'd like.’ We sold out the first batch just like that,” Ben Ross, with Forest Heights Pharmacy said.

They've ordered the isopropyl alcohol and other ingredients to make as much as they can. Some sells in their store, more goes to special bulk orders.

“We've gotten calls from businesses that are trying to stay open and trying to keep their employees safe,” Ross said.

He says they've given away almost as much as they've sold; giving to law enforcement and others on the front line. Those in uniform say they're grateful.

“I made a phone call to Ben to see if he had any and he said yes. I told him we wanted to buy a couple of bottles and he said to come by, and he was giving it to us. So, yes, it’s a big deal when you can't find it anywhere,” Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bobby Durden said.

He says this helps protect the people who protect us and keep us healthy.

“It's just our way of giving back to those who've done so much for us,” Ross said.

He says theirs costs more than brand name sanitizer, but they're charging what it costs them to produce it.

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