Tins Week

Something Extra

Left to right:

Pharmacist
Allan Levin

Goldie
Goldstein
in front of
Prentis
Apartments.

Rx Shopping

A

local pharmacist who is marking his 50th
year in the industry has some sage advice
for customers without prescription cover-

age:
"Shop around," warns Allan Levin of West
Bloomfield, owner of Beacon Hill Pharmacy in
Southfield.
When a Jewish customer was diagnosed with
shingles two weeks ago, she came into Levin's
pharmacy after being quoted a price of $68.40 for
35 tablets of Zovirax at a national chain store.
Levin's price for the same drug was $18.22, but he
couldn't get it until the next day.
Because of her condition, she needed the drug
immediately and wound up purchasing it at a
warehouse store pharmacy for $24.
Following the incident, Levin had his wife,
Beverly, check his prices on 12 drugs against those
of two national chains. His were 50-70 percent
lower.
The Jewish News checked prices at a third
national chain pharmacy. The pharmacist, who
asked not to be identified, said the markup —
even on generic drugs — is tremendous. He said
his chain sells Zantac, a brand-name drug used for
acid reflux, at $120.29 for 60 pills, which includes
a senior citizen discount. A generic version sells at
$24.25 for 60, "a considerable savings," said the
pharmacist. "But our cost for the generic is
$3.50."
Thirty 100 mg Darvocet pain-killers cost $35.05
(with the senior discount). The generic version at
the same store is $10.75. The store's cost for the
generic is $4.47.
Levin said that just like the chains, independent
pharmacies have to make a profit.
"But we have lower over-
head," he explained. He
suggested that people
without prescription
coverage check prices
with several pharma-
cies — chains and
independents — to
get the lowest price
for the same drug.

— Alan Hitsky

8/15

2003

14

Lights Out

a

oldie Goldstein was watchingWheel of
Fortune in her apartment at the Anna &
Meyer L. Prentis Jewish Apartments in when
the television went "blink."
A summer storm had knocked out power in some
sections of Oak Park on Aug. 5 around 7 p.m.
Although the hallway lights were lit, power went
out in the elevators, said Goldstein, 88, and a 19-
year resident. "I lit a few candles, looked at a blank
wall for a while, then called it a night."
Roughly 280 residents in 268 apartments were
without power until 10 a.m. Aug. 6.
According to Larry Machlis, Prentis administrator,
two emergency live-in staff members, a security
guard and a health-care worker helped the residents.
"Rounds can be made and announcements are
made through the fire panels in each room," he said.
"Our emergency generator powers the phone sys-
tem, so we had residents calling down quite -a bit for
information."
Titus Mendell of Southfield was visiting a friend
at Prentis when the lights went out. At one point, he
walked down four flights of stairs in the dark and
saw people stranded in the lobby. The battery-pow-
ered emergency lights in the hallway and the stair-
wells were not operating, he complained.
"We did have emergency lights, but the battery
packs only had five hours of life," Machlis
explained. "This is the first time the power's been
off that long. We're looking for a longer-life battery.
Those residents who were unable to climb the
stairs were treated to a slumber party and pizza on
the first floor, he said.
The 15-floor Prentis I is the only Federation
apartment building without an emergency generator
for its elevator; but that problem will be solved in

the beginning of 2004, said Marsha Goldsmith
Kamin, executive director of Jewish Apartments &
Services. The money will come from a Federation
grant.
— Harry Kirsbaum

On-Campus Ammo

ewish college students heading off to college
can get a quick course in how to respond to
Arab propaganda.
The Jewish Community Council is sponsoring a
free pizza dinner and discussion 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,
Aug. 19, at the Max M. Fisher Federation Building
in Bloomfield Township.
Discussion will focus on Israeli history and how to
answer difficult questions about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
For required reservations, call Allan Gale, (248)
642-5393, or gale@jfmd.org
— Alan Hitsky

IT

M ission Discount

nterested in going to Israel on Federation's
Michigan Miracle Mission 4, which runs from
April 18-28, 2004?
Take advantage of a Labor Day price incentive.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
offers a $100 discount per person, with a $500
deposit to be paid by Sept. 8. The cost of the trip
would be $2,795 with the discount.
To learn more about the trip, attend the next
recruitment meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8,
at the Max M. Fisher Federation Building, 6735
Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township.
Co-sponsors of Federation's Michigan Miracle
Mission 4 are the Detroit Jewish
News and the Michigan
Board of Rabbis.
Applications and reser-
vations are processed
"Last week's Jewish.com survey question asked: Would you send your
on a first-come, first-
aa teenage child on a mission to Israel this summer?
served basis. For
Of 128 respondents, 70 (55 percent) said yes, and 58 (45 percent) said no.
information, call Sally
Krugel, mission direc-
This week's question: Do you subscribe to your local Jewish newspaper?
tor, at (248) 203-1485.
To vote, click on jewish.com
Greenberg;
—
— Keri tauten Cohen

I

)3

AN EDGE FOR MISSIONS