Update on pharmacy: Montauk experience could offer guidelines 

Silence about the future of having a local pharmacy on Shelter Island doesn’t mean Town officials have been idle, Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen told the Health & Wellness Committee Friday. The community’s needs have not been abandoned, she added, with explorations continuing while short-term solutions remain in place.

Montauk lost its only pharmacy in October 2024 and has a replacement today thanks to the persistence of the community and Frank Calvo, who for 13 years was the pharmacist at the former White’s Drug and Department Store.

From the day the Soloviev Group told Islanders the Heights store would remain but pharmacy services would end within a week, Town officials focused first on immediate, short-term solutions. Two pharmacies — Sag Harbor Pharmacy and Greenport’s Colonial Drugs & Surgicals deliver prescriptions to people’s houses on Shelter Island at the end of each day.

Islanders still want a local pharmacy and some possible solutions can’t work, Ms. Larsen said. Now there’s an exploration of how Montauk handled its situation. Montauk had the pharmacist, but not a place to conduct business. Ideas flowed for possible venues, but rentals were out of the question. Still, everyone had suggestions for space and a store was finally identified.

There was still the time-consuming process of readying the space and obtaining State licensing to operate. There was work to do with companies providing health insurance to customers to obtain arrangements to allow the new pharmacy to accept that coverage.

As for arranging financing, that is going to require information that may be borrowed from Montauk, where Mr. Calvo has been working with the Stony Brook University Small Business Development Center and M&T Bank.

“They have been holding my hand through the whole process and have been absolutely wonderful,” Mr. Calvo said.

Needs assessment

Rather than sit in a room exchanging only their views about the needs Shelter Island has in the areas of health and wellness, the committee has opted to reach out to other groups for input.

Committee members worked individually and in seven groups, aiming to get widespread response to what others find is lacking in physical, mental and emotional services. The hope was to have the needs survey completed before the end of the year, but between some resistance and holidays, it has become evident that some redefinition and more time is required.

Health & Wellness Co-Chairman Jim Colligan said he realized some questions he initially planned to use were too invasive and had to be changed. Co-Chairwoman Nancy Green said she spoke with Jack Thilberg who is director of the Town’s Emergency Medical Services about meeting with his team and he was somewhat skeptical, concerned about violations of personal information protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. He didn’t shut the door on the request, and Ms. Green said she plans to clarify with him that discussions are about identifying services to be offered locally and no names or specific information about respondents would be divulged.

Committee members had thoughts about a number of requirements individuals may have. Staffing is light at the Medical Center, Laurie Fanelli said. Dr. Joshua Potter, who had been selected by Stony Brook to work at the local medical center, has been assigned to other work that limits his time at the Island office to two days a week. Dr. Kelt, whose thriving practice was working fulltime for decades, now is in his office two days a week.

Plans called for a full-time physician on the Island or assignment of physician assistants or nurse practitioners to provide medical services.

There is no home care on the Island, Ms. Fanelli said. Two companies that used to provide services here — Catholic Home Care and Peconic Bay Home Care — will no longer service the Island because of the expense of traveling, Ms. Fanelli said.

She also said there’s a need for a qualified person to work with patients who have Parkinson’s.