Chastity Dixon’s 18-year—and counting—career journey with Avita started a bit unexpectedly. On a spring day in 2007, she thought she had lunch plans with a good friend and colleague who worked for Avita Pharmacy’s New Orleans location. When she walked into the store to pick her up, however, Chastity learned that her pal had actually scheduled her for an interview with Avita Pharmacy Founder (and now Avita Care Solutions Board Member) Jerry Purcell.
“I walked in, and he’s sitting there at his desk with his cowboy boots on,” Chastity recalls. “He said, ‘Are you ready to be interviewed?’ As you can see, the rest is history. That’s how I started as a pharmacy technician at Avita. And working here has been by far the most rewarding part of my career.”
Little did Chastity know that her professional experience with Avita would span a variety of roles, including pharmacy technician, assistant district manager, and now sales onboarding coordinator, or that she’d have a front-row seat to witnessing the company grow exponentially.
Read on to learn more about how Chastity’s core values led her to a career in pharmacy, and specifically to an organization that rallies around compassionate care.
Working at Avita has been by far the most rewarding part of my career.
Driven to pharmacy by an “innate desire to take care of others.”
Even as a little girl, Chastity was always drawn to helping others. “I’d see people out on the street in the cold, and I wanted to give whatever I had to them,” she says. “What drew me to pharmacy was my innate desire to take care of others,” she says. “It’s basically second nature for me to jump in and help.”
When Chastity joined Avita as a pharmacy technician, she brought a range of industry experience, including at retail, specialty, and infusion pharmacies. However, Avita’s community focus and dedication to one-to-one patient interactions stood out. “The mission and core values aligned perfectly with what I wanted to do my whole life,” she says.
After returning to school to earn her social work license, Chastity realized that she could have a similar impact through her daily interactions with patients at Avita. “The social work mission is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of people from diverse and vulnerable populations,” she says. “With every job I’ve had at Avita, I’ve also been able to fulfill my social work dream.”
This has resulted in some extraordinary interactions over the past 18 years, she notes. “Fifteen years ago, I answered the phone at the New Orleans pharmacy, and the mother of a patient who had just been diagnosed as HIV positive was on the line,” Chastity says. “The woman just needed someone to listen. To this day, she sends me a card on every holiday and my birthday. She sings on my personal voicemail. I cherish those relationships.”
What drew me to pharmacy was my innate desire to take care of others. It’s basically second nature for me to jump in and help.
Compassionate care is crucial behind the scenes and on the frontlines
As Avita grew (Avita Pharmacy is now part of Avita Care Solutions, a family of brands that also includes telehealth provider Q Care Plus and the AvitaCare Atlanta medical facility), so did Chastity’s opportunities for professional growth and leadership. In 2023, she was invited to interview for a newly created position as a sales onboarding coordinator. “Leadership thought I would be a great fit based on what I’ve done in the pharmacy as a lead technician and assistant district manager,” she says. “It wasn’t on my bingo card at all, but they allowed me to make the role my own, and we’ve had a lot of success since I jumped in.”
In this position, Chastity is responsible for onboarding Avita’s new covered entity partners once their pharmacy services agreements (PSAs) are signed. “I like to think of myself as the bridge that introduces the covered entity to all the benefits of Avita, including their account management and 340B teams, and all the marketing materials available to them,” she says.
And you’d better believe that compassion still plays a very big role.
“As a pharmacy technician, it’s crucial that you show compassionate care, because you never know what someone is going through outside of the pharmacy,” Chastity says. “And I’ve transitioned that compassionate care mindset into my sales role. When we seek out new covered entity partnerships, it’s critical that we help prospective partners understand what makes Avita stand out. One of the main factors is the compassionate care we offer to underserved communities. Our partners can expect us to be there for them, and trust that we’re committed to helping them build long-term success.”
It's critical that we help prospective partners understand what makes Avita stand out. One of the main factors is the compassionate care we offer to underserved communities. Our partners can expect us to be there for them, and trust that we’re committed to helping them build long-term success.
TEAM MEMBER SNAPSHOT
Name: Chastity Dixon
Title: Sales Onboarding Coordinator
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Favorites:
- Hobbies and community service: I enjoy decorating. Now that I have grandkids, I’m always planning birthday parties, and I like to make my own crafts, party favors, and sweet treats for them. I love TikTok; it’s where I get many of my ideas. I’ve also been attending the same church for 41 years. The people there are like family to me. I work with both the youth and women’s ministries and teach Sunday School.
- Food: Living in Louisiana, any dish with seafood in it is my favorite food. I’m sorry, I can’t narrow it down.
- App: TikTok, Headspace, FitCloudPro
- Travel destination: I love cruising; I make everyone cruise t-shirts. I love to get away, but I don’t like to stay in one place for too long. So, the family is always picking different places to visit.
