I've been practicing pharmacy for 40 years. Started near San Francisco in 1965. 20 years. Another 17 years on an island north of Seattle. Stowe, Vermont for 5 years and now on the Texas Gulf of Mexico coast. I want to talk about the last 6 years. Stowe, Vermont is an international destination resort. Skiing in the winter and quaint, relaxing New England otherwise. People with money come to spend that money quickly at a place where the residents also have money. For the most part, the people in Stowe are well educated. I worked one day a week in a pharmacy in Stowe. A small pharmacy, not the signature American drug store. These people did not need me. They did not, for the most part, want my advice. I now work in a small Texas city where I have to opportunity to serve clients who are living on the margins of American society. Indeed, it seems like many of them are simply considered disposable. They would not be missed if they simply disappeared.
Most of them are ill-educated blacks. There are Hispanics who speak little English. Their dignity can't pull them through without English. I honestly do not have to do much to receive back the kind of gratitude that makes me feel good. These people just do not have a handle on how to navigate the
medical care waters. My greatest satisfaction is acting as a pilot for them.
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Jim Plagakis