News & Events

      The Myron E. Blough Memorial Scholarship, awarded to Allegany College of Maryland’s top pharmacy technician student each year, was recently presented to Margaret (Moriah) Edmiston, center. Also pictured are Richard Witt, right, a retired Cumberland pharmacist who teaches at the college, and John Balch, left, President and owner of The PharmaCare Network, where the late Blough worked as a pharmacist. The Blough award helps the recipient defray tuition expenses as it recognizes outstanding achievement. The curriculum, which is completed in one semester of full-time study, prepares graduates to assist pharmacists in community, hospital and institutional pharmacies.

      More than one million children in the U.S. under the age of five are exposed annually to potential poisons such as medicines and household chemicals. Most of the time poisoning happens right at home. Poisons can look like things that are good to eat and drink. They can come in many colors and forms including solids, liquids, sprays and gases. Young children are curious. They like to put things in their mouth, especially if they look colorful or smell nice.

• Medicines
• Cleaning products
• Laundry products
• Batteries
• Cigarettes
• Mouthwash
• Bug and weed killers
• Alcohol
• Plants
• Lighter fluid

• All medicines and household cleaning products should be stored in locked cabinets, out of the reach and sight of children.
• Safety latches on drawers or cabinets, and child resistant caps on bottles, are helpful in keeping poisons out of the hands of children.
• Never carry something that can be poisonous such as medicine in your purse where children might find it.
• Don't leave young children alone and unsupervised.
• Call medicines by their proper names, not candy.
• Keep all dangerous products in their original containers.

      Despite your best efforts, sometimes poisonings can happen. If you suspect a poisoning, do not wait for symptoms to appear. Call the Poison Control Center immediately at 1-800-222-1222. For more information, visit www.mdpoison.com.

Pictured: Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, director of Wellness for PharmaCare, discusses Mr. Yuk and poison safety with the St. Michael Early Childhood program children.

Propoxyphene, a drug used to control pain, was taken off the U.S. market in November. An estimated 10 million patients have been prescribed this drug commonly known as Darvocet N (propoxyphene and acetaminophen) or Darvon (propoxyphene).

For years, studies have demonstrated propoxyphene with acetaminophen was no more effective in treating pain than acetaminophen alone. However, propoxyphene’s adverse effects can be substantial, especially in older adults. Propoxyphene can cause constipation, abuse potential, seizures, delirium and changes in mental function. More recent findings of serious heart risks prompted the total withdrawal of propoxyphene from the U.S. market.

If you are still taking propoxyphene, it is crucial that you coordinate withdrawal of the medication with your prescriber. Suddenly stopping routine use of propoxyphene can cause withdrawal symptoms, some of them serious. Tapering off of propoxyphene may be necessary. Your prescriber and pharmacist can help determine the best tapering schedule and alternative treatment for you given your other medical conditions, your type of pain and other medications prescribed.

Propxyphene is on the Beers’ list of potentially inappropriate medications. In 1991, Dr. Mark Beers published a consensus list of medicines considered to be inappropriate for long-term care facility residents. The Beers’ criteria is now in its third revision and is used in hospital, outpatient, managed care and other settings.

The Beers’ list can be found at www.seniorcarepharmacist.com under “Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Older Persons.” Health-care providers experienced with caring for older adults should be familiar with the Beers’ list.

If you find you are receiving a medication on the list, discuss the benefit over the risk of taking the medication. The list is only a guideline to alert health-care providers and patients of the potential risk of using certain medications in older adults. For you, a drug on the Beers’ list may be the most appropriate therapy.

The Beers’ list is only one tool for assessing drug therapy in older adults. Other researchers and reports have identified drugs not on the list which can cause problems in the geriatric population. Side effects of drugs may go unrecognized in the older adult because they are nonspecific (e.g. confusion, lethargy, falls).

Frequent review of your complete medication regimen by a prescriber or pharmacist can help identify medication related problems that may otherwise be missed.

Even if you are retired, managing your medications can sometimes feel like you have a full time job. Younger seniors, age 65 to 69 years old, take an average of almost 14 prescriptions per year. By the time seniors reach 80 to 84, the average creeps above 18 prescriptions per year. For cost savings, seniors often use various strategies to procure their drugs including mail order, manufacturer samples provided by prescribers and multiple retail pharmacies. Add over the counter products and herbal agents to the mix and keeping track of your regimen can be a challenge.

Unfortunately, one of the top five greatest threats to your health are adverse drug reactions caused by the very drugs prescribed to improve your health. By spending a little more time paying attention to your drug regimen, you can reduce your risk of adverse reactions. Sometimes the cost saving measures used in an effort to afford your medications can actually increase your risk of medication related concerns. By using several sources for your medications and having multiple prescribers results in not one health care professional being aware of all the medications you are taking.

Duplicate therapies or significant drug interactions can be missed when providers are not aware of your complete drug regimen. Bringing in your medications, including over the counter and herbal products, when you visit prescribers can help them identify potential concerns.

The Medicare Part D plan has expanded the requirements of a free service that also will help you monitor your medications. Over 7 million Medicare Part D participants qualify for this service coined ‘medication therapy management’ (MTM). If your total annual drug costs are $3,000, you have chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease and take several medications, you may qualify. Your insurance representative can see if you are eligible for medication therapy management.

In most cases a pharmacist will provide MTM. It can be in person, by phone or through the Internet. Some insurers contract with your local pharmacist to meet with you one on one. In other drug plans, pharmacists contact you by phone or Internet to provide the service. While cost savings is a goal of MTM, the session will also include a check for side effects, drug interactions and provide advice on the best way to take your medication. Any recommendations for changes in therapy will be forwarded to your prescriber and only after his/her approval can a change occur. A written summary of the session will be provided to you and quarterly follow-ups can be scheduled.

Making the most of your insurance benefits is part of being a savvy consumer. Don't forget MTM when maximizing your Medicare Part D benefits.

Unfortunately, too often our medical systems allow little time for questions you may have about your medications. Sometimes we think that information is a one way street with all information coming from the prescriber. However, to optimize your medication regimen, there are some important things you should communication to those who oversee your medication therapies. Below is a list to help communicate important information to your medical providers.

• Each prescriber should know all of your medications. This includes prescription medicines, over the counter products, herbals, home remedies, vitamins and sample medications. Keep an updated list of all your medications you are taking including the dose and how you are using each agent.
• Let your doctor know your priorities and concerns. Would you rather pay more for a medication than deal with a medication that causes you more side effects? Do you want as many medications dosed once daily as possible? Remember you are the consumer and if your doctor prescribes a medication that you end up not taking due to a side effect or other reason, no one wins.
• Report any allergies, significant side effects, even effectiveness of current and past medications. Past use of medications can often guide prescribers away from drugs which may be harmful. Knowing what has worked in the past can help your prescriber choose what is most likely to benefit you now.
• Provide your doctor with information regarding all your medical conditions. Many drugs can interact with other disease states and impact your overall health. For example, even though the doctor who prescribes your diabetes medications doesn't treat your heart condition, knowing you have heart problems can help him/her choose the proper diabetes medication.
• Tell how you are feeling since you started taking the medicine. Do you think it is helping? Often unnecessary medication can continue if you do not communicate that it does not seem to be helping. Changes in dose or change in medication may help effectiveness.
• Let your prescriber know all your health care providers, including chiropractic and specialists. All medical information needs to be shared with your prescribers.
• Tell your doctor if you are not taking your medicine as directed. Some people may stop taking their medicine, take a lower dose, or skip doses if they are having side effects or other issues with their medications. Taking your medication in the dose and at the times prescribed can be very important to the action of some medications. However, other medication may be appropriate in different doses than prescribed. Only by communicating with your doctor what your are taking can you work together to get the best regimen. Do not let guilty feelings or embarrassment keep you from telling your doctor this important information.

Kick Butts Day is held annually in March to educate our youth about the dangers of tobacco use. According to the Kick Butts Day organizers, the tobacco industry addicts more than 1,000 youth every day - and one in three of them will die prematurely because of tobacco use. Those are sobering statistics for our youth.

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Tobacco kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, suicides, and murders combined. Tobacco companies spend more than $12.8 billion a year on advertising and marketing.

• Each day about 3,500 kids under 18 try smoking for the first time, and another 1,000 kids become new regular, daily smokers.
• Adult male smokers lose an average of 13 years of life and adult female smokers lose an average of 15 years.
• Nicotine is an addictive drug which is why it is so hard for people to quit once they start.
• Smoking limits the amount of oxygen in the blood, reducing your stamina for sports and other physical activities.
• Smoking turns your teeth and fingernails yellow and causes premature wrinkling of the skin.
• According to the U.S. General, “secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms, including cough, phlegm, wheeze and breathlessness in school-aged children.”
• Exposure to secondhand smoke causes over 1 million illnesses in children.

For more information, ways to become involved or tips to quit smoking, visit www.kickbuttsday.org, www.cancer.org or www.lungusa.org.

      The Myron E. Blough Memorial Scholarship, awarded to Allegany College of Maryland’s top pharmacy technician student each year, was recently presented to Amber Dean of Romney, WV. Also pictured are Richard Witt, right, a retired Cumberland pharmacist who teaches at the college, and John Balch of PharmaCare of Cumberland, where the late Blough last worked as a pharmacist. The Blough award helps the recipient defray tuition expenses as it recognizes outstanding achievement. The curriculum, which is completed in one semester of full-time study, prepares graduates to assist pharmacists in community, hospital and institutional pharmacies.

      Each year, thousands of children have eye accidents at home, at play or in the car. These eye injuries can damage a child’s sight and even cause blindness. Many common causes of eye injuries to children involve ordinary objects:

• Misuse of toys
• Falls from beds, against furniture or on the stairs;
• Misuse of everyday tools and objects (work and garden tools, knives and forks, scissors, pens and pencils)
• Contact with harmful household products (detergents, paints, glues)

      Be sure to always provide proper supervision, find and remove potential hazards to their vision, and practice good eye safety to be a good role model. At home, use safety gates at top and bottom of stairs. If objects have sharp corners, pad or cushion them. Put locks on cabinets and drawers that children can reach. Read all warnings and instructions on toys. Avoid toys with sharp edges or hard points, spikes, or rods. Be aware of items on the playground that are hazards. Keep children away from fireworks and sparklers.If you notice any of these signs or symptoms in your child, get medical help immediately.

• Obvious pain or difficulty seeing
• A cut or torn eyelid
• One eye does not move as well as the other
• One eye sticks out compared to the other
• An unusual pupil size or shape
• Blood in the eye
• Something in the eye or eyelid that can’t be easily removed.

      For more information, contact www.aao.org/eyecare or www.geteyesmart.org.

Pictured: Lisa Bohrer, RN,BC, Director of Wellness for PharmaCare, with the BRIDGE Preschooler

      This article was submitted by Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, the director of Wellness, for the PharmaCare Network. She is available to speak on various health and wellness topics. For more information, contact her at 301-689-2909 or lbohrer@3ipc.com.

      Cumberland, MD – to increase convenience and access to postal services and products, residents in the Cumberland area have more choices when it comes to fulfilling their postal needs. A new Contract Postal Unit (CPU) opened at PharmaCare West, located at 64 Greene Street, Cumberland, MD 21502. A grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 12 at 11am.

      Customers can purchase stamps, mail letters and packages and purchase nearly all mailing services – including both domestic and international – at the same prices available at Post Offices. “A full line of postal products and services are available at the new CPU including postage stamps, Express Mail and Priority Mail services, packaging products, and much more,” says Cumberland Postmaster Edwin Turner. “The PharmaCare West location is another way we’re extending our services to our customers and making it more convenient to do business with us,” added Turner.

      Hours of operation at the new retail postal location are Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm, and Saturday, 9am to 1pm. The community is invited to attend the Grand Opening ceremony. For more information regarding CPU locations, please contact your local postmaster or CPU Coordinator Tammy Kenealy at 410-347-4616.

      “Make Fibromyalgia Visible” is the National Fibromyalgia Association’s theme for this year’s National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, officially observed on May 12. Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is designed to increase awareness and understanding of fibromyalgia a chronic pain disorder usually characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress.

      To help with the public’s understanding of this common condition, The PharmaCare Network is hosting a free informational session at the Comfort Inn on National Highway in LaVale, MD on May 12th at 6 pm. Ali El-Mohandes, MD, a Pain Medicine Specialist and board certified Anesthesiologist, will be the speaker. Light refreshments will be served.

      Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex chronic pain illness that is recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Rheumatology. FM experts estimate that about 10 million Americans and approximately 3-6% of the population worldwide suffer with FM. While it is most common in women, the illness strikes men, women, and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. For those with severe symptoms, FM can be extremely debilitating and interfere with even routine daily activities.

      For more information, contact Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, Director of Wellness at PharmaCare of Frostburg at 301-689-2909 or e-mail her at lbohrer@3ipc.com.

      Calcium helps build strong bones. Between the ages of 10 to 18, is when a child makes the bone that must last a lifetime. Children must get enough calcium and exercise to reach this peak bone mass. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children who are:

• 1-3 years old get 500 mg per day (about 2 servings of milk)
• 4-8 years old get 800 mg per day (about 3 servings of milk)
• 9-18 years old get 1300 per day (about 4 servings of milk)

      Most children, especially teens, get much less than their recommended daily requirements of calcium. Milk is the food that is most often associated with being high in calcium. There are many other foods that are good sources of calcium. Some examples include:

• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Fortified soy milk, rice milk or goat's milk
• Calcium fortified orange juice
• Cooked dried white beans
• Dried figs
• Spinach
• Ice cream
• Instant oatmeal
• Oranges
• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli

      Dark green, leafy vegetables, tofu, lentils, sardines and salmon are also good sources of calcium for children with a milk allergy. Another important way to keep children's (and your) bones healthy for the entire lifetime is through exercise. Weight bearing exercise is one of the most important things children can do right now to build bone mass and reduce the risk for osteoporosis later. Regular weight-bearing exercise such as jogging or jumping rope, can help people reach the best possible peak bone mass when they are young, and help keep that bone strength throughout life.

Pictured: Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, Director of Wellness for PharmaCare, discusses the importance of strong bones with the BRIDGE Pre-Schoolers.

• Bleeding between menstrual periods
• Bleeding after sexual intercourse
• Bleeding after a pelvic exam
• Pelvic pain not associated with your menstrual cycle
• Increased urinary frequency
• Pain during urination.

There are two tests that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early. The Pap test looks for precancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated. The HPV test looks for the virus that can cause these cell changes. The Pap test is recommended for all women. Getting a Pap test regularly can find precancerous changes that can be treated so that cervical cancer is prevented.        The HPV vaccine (Gardisil) protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers. It is given in a series of three shots and is recommended for 11 and 12 year old girls and those 13 to 26 who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. Limiting your number of sexual partners, using condoms during sex and not smoking will also reduce your risk of cervical cancer.        For more information, contact the National Cervical Cancer Coalition at www.nccc-online.org. This article was submitted by Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, the director of Wellness, for the PharmaCare Network. She is available to speak on various health and wellness topics. For more information, contact her at 301-689-2909 or lbohrer@3ipc.com.

Lisa Bohrer (left), R.N.,BC, director of wellness for PharmaCare, discusses cervical cancer screening with Leticia Shelton.

      The PharmaCare Network has the H1N1 Flu Vaccine available. The vaccine is FREE to everyone. PharmaCare Infusion offers on-site clinics for your organization or business at no cost. If you would like to schedule an appointment or on-site clinc, or have any questions please call PharmaCare Infusion Services at 301-723-2440 or e-mail them at mvalentine@3ipc.com.

      As noted by the CDC, supplies of the vaccines to protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus are increasing. The CDC is encouraging people who have been patiently waiting to receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine to get vaccinated now. Influenza is unpredictable, but flu is expected to continue for months, caused by either 2009 H1N1 viruses or regular seasonal flu viruses. This vaccine is the best way to protect against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus. To view up-to-date information regarding the H1N1 vaccine, activity and other important facts and news go to http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

      PharmaCare’s newest retail pharmacy location is open to serve all customers – discharged patients, WMHS employees and the general public.

      Located on the main floor of the Medical Arts Center at the new Western Maryland Regional Medical Center – Willowbrook Road, Cumberland