{"id":89409,"date":"2022-04-05T06:42:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T10:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=89409"},"modified":"2022-04-07T05:48:33","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T09:48:33","slug":"a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/","title":{"rendered":"A beloved neighborhood pharmacy closes"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than six decades the Apalachin Pharmacy had been one of Apalachin\u2019s iconic small businesses, and a part of the close-knit community identity.  <\/p>\n

Apalachin Pharmacy owners, Jay and Kinna Lalkiya, announced that their pharmacy, located at 6843 Rte. 434, closed on March 29. The couple operated the pharmacy for 28 years.  <\/p>\n

The Lalkiya\u2019s stated that their UPS Store and gift shop, located in the same building, remain open.<\/p>\n

The Lalkiya\u2019s said it was a difficult decision to close the pharmacy. Jay explained that various insurance challenges, and particularly Medicare Part D related DIR fees (Direct and Indirect Remuneration), chipped away at sustaining their pharmacy business.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Pictured is the Apalachin Pharmacy, one of Apalachin\u2019s iconic small businesses, and a part of the close-knit community identity. It closed on March 29. The UPS Store and gift shop remain open. Call (607) 625-2300 for information. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Apalachin Pharmacy dates back to 1959 when Jim Hamlin, an Albany College of Pharmacy graduate, operated the business until 1982, along with his wife Felina and his parents, Bill and Mildred Hamlin. Jim continued to work, too, when the next pharmacist, Ken Mantei, came on board.<\/p>\n

The Hamlin\u2019s relocated to Apalachin from Binghamton. Jim and Bill had worked at the Hamlin\u2019s Red Cross Drug Store on Court Street, which in turn became a CVS Pharmacy in the mid 1970\u2019s. That CVS store closed its doors late last year, and then today the Apalachin Pharmacy is transitioning to CVS Pharmacy.<\/p>\n

The Apalachin Pharmacy was once housed on West Main Street. In its earlier days it was a community-gathering place, too, and featured \u201cMillie\u2019s Gift Shop.\u201d According to old advertisements, treasures from all around the world could be found there.<\/p>\n

Mantei, a pharmacist and former owner, followed in the Hamlin\u2019s footsteps before selling to the Lalkiya\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Looking back, Mantei shared, \u201cThe Hamlin\u2019s were part of the backbone of the community then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken chuckled as he recalled customers coming into the store with empty containers to refill with Jim Hamlin\u2019s store-made mouthwash. Another memory Ken mentioned was Hamlin\u2019s self-made moisturizing cream that he stored in a 55-gallon barrel. The product, Ken said, was a popular customer request, and often used for diaper rash.    <\/p>\n

Back to today, Jay remarked that pharmacy competition is not the issue as to why the Apalachin Pharmacy closed, but instead pointed to government policies.<\/p>\n

According to the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the group, who calls themselves the voice of independent pharmacies, has been actively advocating for DIR reform for several years. NCPA cites that previous government administrations of both political parties have failed to adopt policies or regulations to minimize or eliminate DIR fees.    <\/p>\n

Another piece of the puzzle is the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), or the middle group hired by plan sponsors to administer prescription drug benefits. According to PSSNY (Pharmacists Society of the State of New York), PBM\u2019s often benefit more than what pharmacies receive, and it can also affect what patients pay out-of-pocket.<\/p>\n

There are currently three PBMs who hold nearly eighty percent of the U.S. market. In New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul signed two bills on New Year\u2019s Eve that now require PBMs to register and get licensed, in an effort to show transparency.  <\/p>\n

Apalachin Pharmacy customers can still call (607) 625-2129 during the transition. Prescriptions, along with insurance and physician information have been transferred to CVS Pharmacy at 1008 Union Center Highway in Endicott, N.Y. (also referred to as West Corners).<\/p>\n

Jay also shared that Apalachin Pharmacy employees would be considered for CVS store openings.<\/p>\n

The Lalkiya\u2019s extend a heartfelt thank you to their customers for their loyalty and support through the years.<\/p>\n

Jay said, \u201cWe appreciate our customers, you have been like family to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Apalachin UPS Store offers in-store and online printing, document finishing, a notary, packing and shipping, among other services. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For information, call (607) 625-2300. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For more than six decades the Apalachin Pharmacy had been one of Apalachin\u2019s iconic small businesses, and a part of the close-knit community identity.   Apalachin…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":89411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA beloved neighborhood pharmacy closes - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A beloved neighborhood pharmacy closes - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For more than six decades the Apalachin Pharmacy had been one of Apalachin\u2019s iconic small businesses, and a part of the close-knit community identity.   Apalachin...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-05T10:42:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-07T09:48:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/04\/Pharmacy2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"824\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/\",\"name\":\"A beloved neighborhood pharmacy closes - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/04\/Pharmacy2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-05T10:42:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-07T09:48:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/04\/05\/a-beloved-neighborhood-pharmacy-closes\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/04\/Pharmacy2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/04\/Pharmacy2.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":824,\"caption\":\"Pictured is the front entrance to the Apalachin Pharmacy, located at\u00a06843 Rte. 434.\u00a0It closed on March 29.\u00a0The UPS Store and gift shop remain open.\u00a0Pharmacy customers can call (607) 625-2129 during a transition period.\u00a0Prescriptions, along with insurance and physician information, have been transferred to CVS Pharmacy at 1008 Union Center Highway in Endicott, N.Y. 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