Hoffman Estates pharmacist on front lines of changes for 45 years

Bob Dietsche of Algonquin has been a pharmacist for 45 years, mostly at the Jewel-Osco in Hoffman Estates, until he retired last week. But it wasn't just a job counting pills, filing insurance claims or adding up transactions. It was about the people and what was happening in their lives and how he could help them.

The customers and the people he worked with, his long tenure behind that same counter, and the "hometown pharmacy feel" kept him coming back, said Dietsche, 70.

"One of the things I will miss most about my career in pharmacy is the day-to-day interactions with my customers. It has been a privilege to serve this community," he said.

While current and former colleagues stopped by to wish him well last week, he thought about what it all has meant to him over the years.

Dietsche was born and raised in Mount Prospect. At 16, he worked at a pharmacy and was told that if he enjoyed the work and helping people, then this was the career for him. After he graduated Prospect High School, he went to Drake University to earn his degree in pharmacy.

While at Drake, a recruiter for Osco came to the campus and Dietsche applied for a job. He was hired to start at the Wood Dale store in 1970 and later transferred to Niles. He then transferred again to the Hoffman Estates store. He loved the job so much that when he and his family moved to Algonquin, he didn't mind the commute and remained at the Hoffman Estate store.

During those years, he was on the front lines of major changes in the pharmacy industry. He saw the explosion of more drugs, the introduction of generics, and the growth of more insurance companies, more paperwork, and more regulations. He went from using a typewriter to fill out labels to computers that also provided details of medications and their interactions.

"When I started out in pharmacy there were only two prescription drug insurance plans, Medicaid and Aetna, and now there are literally thousands of plans available to our customers," Dietsche said. "As a result of this, I have tried to help customers understand the correlation between certain plan coverage and their specific medication regimen. For instance, a husband might be on a certain Medicare coverage plan that his wife will automatically join when she is eligible. This may not be the best decision depending on what medications she is taking."

Besides the industry changes, Dietsche and his wife, Nancy, raised three children, all now in the health care industry, he said.

He also has enjoyed working with his customers, providing them information and education about medications, and guiding them when dealing with medical providers.

"The experiences I have had with my customers mirror those that I have had with many friends," he said. "You see these people through the highs and lows of their life and try to lend support when it's needed. Perhaps Danny Thomas said it best, 'Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others.'"

New Response Team 1 execs

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