Enriched by the thoughtful selection of our name, The Well, we honor the profound resilience of the human race and the importance of having access to essential resources.  It is the lack of access to what is required that compromises the ability to thrive and in some cases survive.  The Well, in name, also embodies the cultural significance of community members gathering and settling in a location where sustainability is achievable, historically living close to water wells.

The narrative of The Well is intricately woven with lessons of sustainability drawn from the professional and personal experiences of its founder, Dr. Vondalyn Wright.

As a pharmacist for over 20 years serving patients daily who are in need of essential resources, Dr. Wright has witnessed the health defeat experienced by patients with delayed access to medicine or comprehensive healthcare services.  These observations of defeat transcended race, gender, age or economic status. Consequently, Dr. Wright began to identify the informal commentary from patients, staff and peer professionals that chronicled the gaps in services or resources within the community she served.  Hoping to impact such health outcomes as a pharmacist would require a new business model and an unimaginable perseverance over the next several years.

In 2018, when Dr. Wright opened the doors to Health Matters Pharmacy LLC, she hoped to evade the defeat experienced by small business owners within the first year.  According to Forbes magazine, 20% of small businesses fail within the first year and 50% of small businesses fail after year five.  Strategically placed in a modest retail plaza of Tampa, Florida, Dr. Wright survived the growing pains of her first two years.  Committed to the needs of her customers and requiring excellence from herself and team, Dr. Wright elected to turn toward her goal to impact health disparities observed earlier in her career.  Establishing the standard of patient education with compassion, the Health Matters team began to serve beyond the retail experience of most pharmacies.  This would lay the foundation for what later became, The Well.

Now, in year three, with the wind behind her sail, the Health Matters Pharmacy team were victims of a break in, burglary and vandalism. The next year, following their retail recovery and reopening, the pharmacy faced a different type of devastation as the COVID-19 pandemic ravished the community before a vaccine could be formulated.  Eventually, Health Matters Pharmacy was identified as a retail distribution center once a COVID-19 Vaccine was approved.  During this season Dr. Wright observed the confusion and limitations within the disparate populations of her childhood community.  Many were forced to navigate conflicting health recommendations and their own cultural mistrust.  Though the death and disabling health challenges of some patients were experienced by all in health care, the pharmacy persevered.  However, Dr. Wright’s personal journey would soon be tested.

A wife, mother, accomplished health professional and business owner, was now reflected in the smile and promotional material created to promote her healthcare business.  She had weathered the pandemic and the doors were still open.  With every interview, photoshoot or public speaking event, Dr. Wright invested in time and resources required to promote and educate her community on health.  The model was now in place and business longevity was the new goal.  However, standing between Dr. Wright and longevity were not the typical threats to a business.  It was not the concern of burglars lurking in the dark and COVID-19 was becoming more manageable.  Instead, a diagnosis of breast cancer became the new giant and it, unlike the others, was very personal and beyond the scope of a marketing plan or formal training.  She was now the patient.

Choosing to be more than a survivor, Dr. Wright embraced her journey as patient, relying on the standards established for her business and the expertise of her providers.  With every appointment and prescription serving as a new opportunity to explore the multi-dimensions of health care, Dr. Wright, came eye to eye with defeat and dug in deeper.  She chose not to be a victim of her disease or the startling statistics shared by the disparate mortality rates of African American women.  Instead, Dr. Wright expanded her purpose and vision as a healthcare professional.  It was no longer enough to provide pharmaceutical solutions.

It was time to build a service delivery model that raised the standards at the provider level and within the jurisdictions of the communities that needed it most.  An alternative to systemic failures or unintentional barriers in health service delivery, was needed.  A solution that could promote healthy sustainable norms and victory over the defeat of disease.  However, a solution that was geographically relevant to dwellers in need of health services.  In 2022, Dr. Wright, wife, mother, accomplished health professional business owner, and now cancer survivor seized the opportunity to expand her personal vision and purpose beyond the scope of Health Matters Pharmacy, and in less than a year The Well was born.

Located in historic East Tampa, The Well is a complete health resource for individuals and their families with a commitment to the disenfranchised and marginalized populations.