by Amanda Ong
Ahmed Ali came to the New Holly neighborhood of southeast Seattle in 1998 with his family as Somalian refugees. Twenty years later, in 2018, Ali opened Othello Station Pharmacy in the very same neighborhood. It is one of the only independent, Black-owned pharmacies in Seattle. And unlike huge pharmacy chains, Othello Station Pharmacy offers a community approach and understanding to the labyrinth of the health care system.
“I managed a Walgreens for some time, and I just decided that I really wanted to do something different, because I saw a lot of disparities in access, availability, and resources for a large number of the Black population in southeast Seattle and south King County,” Ali said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald. “To actually reduce disparities when it comes to Black and Brown folks, I think the easiest and fastest way to actually address those issues is through community-owned health systems.”
Continue reading Community Care at Independent, Black-Owned Othello Station Pharmacy