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SPORTS: Tomahawks fall to Knights in overtime. Page 8
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Local pharmacy inspires legislation BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
SPORTS: Lakewood tops ATM. Page 8
SPORTS: Lakewood captures season’s first victory. Page 11
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MARYSVILLE — “Just this Monday, one of our customers came to us crying,� said Mary Kirkland, owner of Hilton’s Pharmacy in Marysville, on Thursday, Jan. 12. “Because of the PBMs, her insurance told her that she had to go to mail-order for her medication, but she didn’t want to leave us. She’s a cancer patient who requires a lot of medication, which has to be filled right away, but all the mailorder pharmacies fill them from out of state.� Many people have never heard of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, but according to not only Kirkland, but also Arlington Pharmacy General Manager Cory Duskin and state Rep. Kirk Pearson, the PBMs’ decisions can
impact the quality of prescription drugs and pharmacy services that pharmacy customers receive, as well as the prices they pay for them. Talking with Duskin about PBMs inspired Pearson to draft a piece of legislation that they and Kirkland hope will help provide less expensive and more attentive health care for pharmacy patients throughout the state. “I’m always getting different ideas from my constituents, but this one hit close to home,� Pearson said. “When my father passed away, I remembered how wonderful his local pharmacy was in going above and beyond the call of duty for him. Local pharmacies aren’t just places to buy drugs. They develop real relationships SEE PBM, PAGE 2
Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
Craig Emery, a pharmacist at Hilton’s Pharmacy in Marysville, goes old-school by grinding together medications with a mortar and pestle.
Sen. Murray visits Marysville resident BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
CLASSIFIED ADS 12-14 7 LEGAL NOTICES 3, 5 OBITUARIES 4 OPINION 8-11 SPORTS 6 WORSHIP
Vol. 119, No. 48 Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, left, hears from Marysville’s Randy Heslop on Jan. 11 about how extended unemployment is affecting him.
MARYSVILLE — Marysville’s Randy Heslop has been unemployed for four months, but he started looking for a new job about a year ago, almost immediately after his former employer, Todd Shipyards in Seattle, was bought out. “It was a company that had been there a long time, so I thought I was on good, solid ground,� Heslop said. “I’ve lived in this area for 46 years, and what I learned growing up on a farm has guided me through life. I didn’t expect this.� Even with 20 years of experience in his field at companies including Nintendo and Boeing, he still wasn’t able to find new employment by the time he was finally laid off from his old job. “I made sure the 30 or so people who were
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working for me were taken care of because some of them had been there 20-30 years and I felt morally obligated,� Heslop said. “But I never saw any job offers come my way and now I’m faced with hard decisions, like how we’ll make the house payments.� U.S. Sen. Patty Murray wants unemployed workers like Heslop and Everett’s Deborah Purdom to know that their concerns are her priority, which is why she met with them in Heslop’s house on Wednesday, Jan. 11, after receiving a letter from him. “Your letter touched me,� said Murray, who’s pledged to extend unemployment benefits through the end of the year, to help support middle-class families like the Heslops. “I’ve heard from a lot of folks whose perspectives SEE MURRAY, PAGE 2
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