Trying to get Dr. Neal Smoller to slow down for an interview isn’t an easy thing to do. This busy holistic pharmacist, supplement expert, and founder of Village Apothecary on Tinker Street in Woodstock has also been on a mission to end the pandemic. “By mid-June, we administered well over 36k immunizations, fully vaccinating over 20k people in Ulster, Dutchess, and surrounding counties,” says Dr. Smoller, who started out working in his hometown family-owned pharmacy, Beadle’s Pharmacy in Saugerties, when he was just 14 years old. “We traveled to churches, high schools, colleges, and community centers to ensure everyone had equal access as soon as possible.”
Since his early exposure to the pharmaceutical industry to his quest to vaccinate as many people as possible, Dr. Smoller (affectionately known as Dr. Neal), has always looked for new and improved ways to help his patients and the community.
Dr. Smoller is a holistic pharmacist, which means that he not only fills traditional medication prescriptions, but he also works with finding his patients the best and healthiest supplements. He’s developed the Holistic Standard, which redefines holistic care as the science-backed pursuit of healthy goals using lifestyle, natural products, and conventional medicine. He also founded Supplement School, an online education platform teaching people how to build a sustainable wellness practice with their expertise in the center.
He’s proud to receive a Chronogrammie. “It’s recognition of us—the members of our Hudson Valley community—coming together as the COVID Busting Volunteer Army to make immunization easy, efficient, and fun,” he says. “I’m honored to have inspired and led a group of over 500 such community members and personally gave so many people peace. I also look forward to helping people attain their wellness goals holistically in a post-pandemic world.”
