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Pharmacists plead for Hochul’s help Caremark have the power to determine how much money pharmacies are reimbursed for Rockville Centre pharmacist the prescriptions they dispense. Howard Jacobson is among the A survey of more than 300 indemany independent pharmacy pendent pharmacies earlier this owners who have struggled over year, conducted by the Pharmathe years due to the influence of cists Society of the State of New phar macy benefit York, found that 98 managers, and have percent of responurged Gov. Kathy dents had their Hochul to sign into reimbursements cut law the Pharmacy during the pandemRescue Package. The ic, and 97 percent bill was passed overfeared they would whelmingly by the h ave t o l ay o f f State Assembly and employees, reduce Senate in June. store hours or close PBMs act as middue to those cuts. At d l e m e n b e t we e n the same time, pharmacies, on one PBMs have seen side, and drug manrecord-breaking revHOWARD ufacturers and enue increases. insurance compa- JACOBSON “It’s alar ming nies, on the other. A Owner, what’s happening in lack of oversight of our state, on our Rockville Centre the managers costs island and in our independent phar- Pharmacy own little Nassau macies across the County,” said Jacobstate, which often son, the owner of face financial hardship because Rockville Centre Phar macy. of low reimbursement rates “RVC Pharmacy, a tiny little from the managers, which are location, we’re doing over 100 not legally required to disclose vaccinations every day, and their revenue streams in New that’s on top of our testing and York. trying to get our regular busiCurrently, PBMs such as Opt- ness and prescriptions out to our umRx, Express Scripts and CVS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
By MIKE SMOLLINS msmollins@liherald.com
W
Sue Grieco/Herald
The Clauses came to town Jolly Old St. Nick and the missus strolled through the village’s Recreation Center last Sunday, greeting children and spreading Christmas cheer.
Familiar face, new role at St. Agnes Mary Brower is named assistant principal By TOM CARROZZA tcarrozza@liherald.com
After more than a decade at the St. Agnes Cathedral School in Rockville Centre, Mary Brower took on a new challenge this school year, becoming assistant principal. Last week, Brower reflected on her experience in teaching and administration, and how she and the school have adapted during the pandemic. Brower, 41, was inspired to
pursue a career in education by watching her mother, Patricia Owczarek, who has taught at St. Ann’s, in Garden City, for over 30 years. It wasn’t her original plan — she wanted to be a physical therapist — but, she recalled, sitting in her mother’s classroom with her on off days led to a change of mind. She graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in elementary education in 2002, and earned a master’s from Hofstra the following year.
Brower started her career as a teacher’s assistant and substitute in Rockville Centre’s Hewitt Elementary School before becoming the computer teacher at St. Agnes in 2006. She spent a decade in that role, witnessing a technological leap in which the school went from bulky Mac computers to individual iPads. That transition has been especially important to give students the remote option during the CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
e have a yoke around our necks put upon on us by these PBMs.