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GREENBURGH, N.Y. Even though flu season is right around the corner, Greenburgh residents are more concerned about their health for other reasons.
Loss of insurance and acquiring bed bugs rate as the highest problems, said Greenburgh's Valuable Drugs head pharmacist Roy Giuliano.
"Definitely the recession-related issues with the economy is affecting the greatest number of people in this community right now," said Giuliano. "We're seeing a lot of patients that don't have insurance through loss of their jobs. And there aren't many employers offering full-time positions, which would preclude them from getting health insurance."
Valuable Drugs recommends that their patients without health insurance visit the Greenburgh Health Center. Located across the street, it has access to a successful program that obtains drugs at a federally-discounted price.
"With the recession, a lot of people are losing their positions and not getting hired," Giuliano said of his customers who can save money with this program. "And if they're getting hired, they're getting hired part-time without insurance."
The national concern over bed bugs has come to Greenburgh, as well. If a building gets infested, said Giuliano, it's nearly impossible for a floor to be safe. In most cases, the symptoms can be treated with a cream.
In addition, lice was another back-to-school issue that many parents brought to Giuliano, which is an annual worry during September and October. As children return to school, lice can spread easily as children play closely with each other at recess.
In regards to the flu season, Lawrence "Steve" Miressi, the son of Valuable Drugs owner Larry Miressi, recently finished an APHA-sponsored course that will allow him to administer flu shots to adults aged 18 and up, beginning in November.
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