Public rallies to prescription crisis
With the end of prescription services on the Island at the end of the day on Tuesday when the Soloviev Group would cease its handling of pharmaceuticals more than 100 people shared their concerns, expressed their gratefulness for short-term solutions developed by Town officials and those who oversee Senior Services and thoughts about how a long-term solution might ease the current pain.
The community forum was hosted by the Town Health & Wellness Committee with co-chair Nancy Green introducing the program and members of the Committee and Town Board serving as facilitators at breakout discussion tables.
And, yes, there were criticisms of the Soloviev Group not just abandoning filling prescriptions but also providing no notice to Town officials who had to hear about the crisis from a few customers who had been told by store personnel about the decision.
When representatives of the owners responded to inquiries from Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams, they said the financial decision was necessitated by the loss of $50,000 a month, a number she said, as a well trained accountant, she had trouble wrapping her mind around.
But mostly, it was the frustration people said that they felt receiving only a one-week notice to make other arrangements for their prescriptions.
Some could use mail order prescription services, but not all Medicaid recipients have plans that enable that option. Others have moved their prescriptions from the Shelter Island Pharmacy to drug stores on the North or South forks. Sag Harbor Pharmacy agreed to deliver prescriptions to the homebound on the Island Mondays through Fridays and Cliff Clark, the President of South Ferry, said he would arrange with the Sag Harbor to offer the least cost possible for those deliveries. The pharmacy personnel said they would arrange for prescriptions filed one day to be delivered door-to-door the next day. But in some circumstances, same day deliveries needed urgently could be delivered the same day they are processed.
For seniors 60 and older, Senior Services has a van it uses for a grant funded Shopping Assistance Program that can make stops at drug stores for seniors to pick up their prescriptions. Senior Services also has a grant funded AAA Transportation Program, again for those 60 or older, provided for doctor visits and that can be extended to those who need to pick up prescriptions.
Some 100 people who showed up at the Center Firehouse Sunday afternoon shared their ideas of how to approach long-term solutions of how to cope with the end of prescription services on the Island.
They acknowledged their fears about not having an on-Island pharmacist to answer questions patients may have about their medications and no emergency services on weekends. Some said they would have to call on EMS volunteers or paid paramedics who serve Islanders.
One person called having an on-Island pharmacy “an essential service.”
There were also concerns since the close down of prescription services comes at a time when Dr. Joshua Potter, who has been serving Islanders at the Medical Center is to be in the office only two days a week with other medical personnel staffing that office on the other three days.
Stony Brook, which has provided much of the medical service at the Medical Center since Dr. Peter Kelt has cut back his hours, leaves them feeling they have no medical services on which they can rely. No one will get to know their needs on a regular basis, they said.
Among the suggestions about a long-term solution heard Sunday are:
• Reaching out to Stony Brook to see what it might be able to do, including the possibility of having a pharmacist at the Medical Center handling prescription distribution; Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen said she has reached out to Stony Brook with questions and expected some guidance from officials there by Tuesday
• Using a van equipped by qualified personnel to bring prescriptions to the Island and rendering pharmaceutical support services to patients
• Reaching out to State and County officials to see what assistance they may be able to render
• Exerting pressure on the Soloviev Group to render some assistance
• Getting many more volunteer drivers who could retrieve medications or drive patients to and from North and South pharmacies to retrieve their prescriptions.
• Use a vacant building to operate a prescription business serving Islanders
There were also questions about how other small communities handle prescription services. Laurie Fanelli from the Senior Services office said Block Island and Fishers Island have an arrangement with pharmacies in Newport and a boat delivers prescriptions to both those communities.
Former councilman and co-chairman of the Town’s Health & Wellness Committee Jim Colligan urged residents to be civil but show strength in an effort to get those with power to help solve the problem.
The Reporter will continue to post updates to this story on its website and have an updated story in Thursday’s paper and on a regular basis going forward on this ongoing issue. The Town website will also be updating its website as new information becomes available.
