Guardian Pharmacy of Jacksonville, a locally owned member of Atlanta-based Guardian Pharmacy Services (GPS), has acquired the long-term care division of Atkinson’s Pharmacy, which offers compound and specialty pharmacy services for the long-term care industry, including an electronic medical records system for clients. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

GPS is one of the nation’s largest long-term care pharmacy companies, with 37 locations in 26 states. Its local-autonomy business model allows local teams to focus on the specialized needs of customers in their communities. Guardian’s corporate support team assists with day-to-day business operations.

The Jacksonville branch has operated for 15 years, providing services to assisted living and skilled nursing communities throughout northeast Florida.

The newly acquired pharmacy business will operate as Guardian Pharmacy of Jacksonville and will continue serving existing long-term care customers and their residents. This transaction expands the pharmacy’s resident customer base by more than 30%.

All of Atkinson’s pharmacy employees will relocate from Orange Park, Florida to the Jacksonville facility, nearly doubling the company’s staff.

According to our Deal Search Online database, GPS purchased TruCare LTC Pharmacy in July 2019, an independent long-term care pharmacy based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This strategic partnership expands GPS’s Midwest footprint and marks its first venture into Michigan. The pharmacy will operate under the new name Guardian Pharmacy of Michigan, and it will open next month its new 17,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility nearly four times the size of the existing building, which will allow it to increase operations to support a rapidly growing customer base.