Blogging Forgottonia

I regret to report that 12/31/2011 will be the final business day for Warren County Pharmacy in County Market.

I wondered before Warren County Pharmacy opened whether Monmouth could support four pharmacies.  I’m sad to see my suspicions born out and another locally owned & operated business close its doors.  The Gracey’s are good people, and I wish them well in the future.

Ryan Neal at the Review Atlas has produced an excellent series of articles (#1, #2, #3, #4) on autism and how local families and school districts are struggling to deal with the consequences of this challenging neurodevelopmental disorder.  I encourage everyone to check out the articles, and I salute Mr. Neal for some excellent reporting.

The second article in the series has drawn the ire of the houngans of anti-vaccine voodoo at Age of Autism.  Anne Dachel, the media editor for Age of Autism, saw fit to personally respond to the article.  Her commentary is filled with ad hominem venom directed at Mr. Neal, the CDC, and medical researchers who had the temerity to provide evidence against their doctrine of faith that vaccines are the root of all autism.

I’m not going to fight the willful ignorance of the anti-vaccine movement here.  Others have done so quite well before me.  As a primary care pediatrician who has vaccinated thousands of children, I have very carefully reviewed the evidence in this matter.  The truth is that the preponderance of medical and scientific evidence discounts any link between vaccines and autism.  I have fully immunized my own five children according to the ACIP / CDC / AAP recommendations, and I strongly endorse that vaccine schedule.  I have never received funds from any vaccine developer, and I, like most pediatricians in practice, do not receive any additional compensation based on my vaccination rate.  Many pediatricians LOSE money by providing vaccines, but continue to do so because they know it’s the right thing to do.  Bottom line: vaccines save lives – not hundreds, not thousands, but MILLIONS of lives.

If you want to help children with autism, support organizations like the Autism Science Foundation.  They will not needlessly throw money at a question that has already been answered over and over again.  They seek to find REAL answers for the parents of children with autism and adults living with autism, and they deserve your support.

Addendum (1/4/2011): The Review Atlas has now posted a 5th article in the series.  Again, excellent!  It points out that we already have a tool – Applied Behavioral Analysis – that when applied early and intensely can make all the difference in the world for those with autism.

A medical team sponsored by the Friends of the Children of Haiti is on its way to Haiti after finally finding a charter flight able to get them to Jacmel, the closest airport to the FOTCOH clinic in Cyvadier.  Best wishes to the team.  Their help is desperately needed!

Does Monmouth really need FOUR pharmacies?

We already have Axline and Shopko in town, Brent Family Pharmacy in Oquawka and multiple pharmacies nearby in Galesburg.  The new Monmouth Walgreens is nearing completion, and just recently I noticed a sign in front of County Market proclaiming that its newly renovated store will be home to Warren County Pharmacy.

Methinks at least one of these Monmouth pharmacies will go belly-up.  You can be sure it won’t be Walgreens, the new big boy muscling in on the block.  I’m hoping that Axline’s drive-through, home delivery service and customer loyalty will save this local business.

Perhaps Axlines should look to ally itself with the County Market venture.  They certainly need to consider expanding their hours.  As a physician prescribing medications (most often by direct-to-pharmacy email prescription), I can say with absolute certainty that Axline loses a significant amount of business because they close at 6 P.M.  Right now that business usually goes to Shopko.  We’ll just have to see what happens once the new players open up.

Eric Timmons, a native of Ireland now employed at Galesburg’s Register-Mail, provides us with a lovely bit of satire regarding his experience with the “horrors” of socialized medicine in Ireland, the U.K. and France.

Heh!