Pharmacy robbery!

I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew it!!!!  Another attempted robbery of a pharmacy took place last night (Tuesday, November 27, 2012) at a Palm Bay, Florida Walgreens.  The 20-year old robber pointed a gun at a pharmacy technician and a pharmacist, demanding that they provide him with their oxycodone supply.  Multiple Walgreens customers and patients waiting to get prescriptions filled were key in getting help to the pharmacy, as they used their mobile telephones to call 911. 

Most of my pharmacy career (90%) has been worked in a secure environment, such as military, hospital, and home health pharmacies.  Since working in a retail pharmacy environment over recent months, I must say that it is my least favorite, mainly because of the safety risk, especially since the work space is far too accessible to the public for my comfort.  I say install plexiglass and a teller speaker, for starters!

It's a shame that we can't even go to work in peace anymore.  We have got to make more changes to ensure a safer work environment for pharmacy staff.  But at least the pharmacy robber, in this case, was arrested and detained at a local hospital, where his gunshot wounds are being treated.  Other than that, no one was hurt.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Birth defects

What do you know about birth defects?  Well, since last month was National Awareness for birth defects, and this month (November) is National Awareness for premature births, I thought it to be appropriate to share an article that I wrote about birth defects.  They're usually unexpected.  So, why not take a moment to increase your awareness on Birth Defects now?

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Military Woman Serves in Vain

As a recent newlywed, (July 27, 2012), Nikki Hoskins, of Arkansas, is also a widow.  During a business meeting that other employees attended, Mrs. Hoskins' husband (Ernest Hoskins) was shot in the face at point blank range by his employer on Friday, November 9, 2012.  The shooting resulted in his death, and the shooter (Mr. Hoskins' boss) has NOT been arrested yet.  His name is Chris Reynolds, and who's to say that he hasn't fled the state of Arkansas yet!  If he's bold enough to call police and report that he killed a man in cold blood, AND the Arkansas State Police Department refuses to arrest Chris Reynolds, who's to say!

The irony of this case is that Mrs. Hoskins, 24-years old, is also an Army Specialist Hoskins in the United States Army, and Veterans Day was celebrated less than 72 hours after her husband's murder.  So, while Army Specialist Hoskins fights for our United States, who's helping her fight for justice in the cold-blooded killing of her husband?  Thank God she has Attorney Benjamin Crump and his legal team on her side.  Look for a press conference on this blatant injustice, around about... NOW! 

Hear what the victim's family has to say... Video Clip of Hoskins Family

Keep it clean!

Okay, y'all!  It's time to start prepping our Thanksgiving dinners =)  Yay!  (I love Thanksgiving!!!)  But please, keep it clean and stay out of the emergency room, would ya?  Here's why I say... STAY OUT OF THE E.R.

 

Awareness

November is American Diabetes Month, National Alzheimer's Disease
Awareness Month, as well as National Hospice Month.  Please take part =)

Marijuana

Even though some states have "legalized" marijuana (weed) use, whether medicinal or recreational, federal law supercedes state law. In other words, you can still be arrested by federal officials for possession and use of marijuana. So, if you must indulge, be careful!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Our Veterans Day

Today is reserved to celebrate those who have served and are currently serving our great United States of America.  We say "Happy Veterans Day," but is it indeed a "Happy" time for Veterans and our families.  As a United States Navy Veteran, I can tell you that Veterans Day is a bittersweet time for me and many others.  We mourn over the time spent away from our families, military experiences that have negatively impacted our lives, and the memories of watching others suffer and lose their lives for our country.  Realistically, those are not happy times.  However, we managed to rise above it all.  Now, survivors of military life can look back over those days and feel an intrinsic sense of pride for having pulled through and continue to overcome adversity.  It's not easy, but we are soldiers, so we can never give up the fight.  Knowing this makes me happy, and because of that I can earnestly say, "HAPPY VETERANS DAY!"

Excitement redirected

With all the excitement going around, I just want to send out an extra safety reminder. Remember, the PULL OUT method is not truly effective. If you're having unprotected sex, please realize that pre-cum or residual semen inside the tip of the penis, can contain enough sperm to fertilize an egg = pregnancy. Another reason to wrap it up ;-)
  

A new baby!

Almost 24 hours ago, a blessed little girl entered our world.  God bless you and your parents, precious baby =)

Back to work!

Yes, he's Barack!  I mean, President Barack Obama is still our president.  So, let's get back to work.  By that I mean back to work on things that matter, such as health insurance for all, and better treatment and benefits for our veterans, such as myself.  Remember, preventative healthcare is like preventative maintenance of your vehicle; if you don't change the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months~ish, you're bound to blow up your engine.  Just some food for thought.  So, get yourself checked out.  I did ;-)

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!

Please VOTE!

Please, please 

VOTE!  

                  Your livelihood depends on it!

eReader ready!

I have an announcement to make:  In response to countless requests, I am finally getting my 3rd book in electronic (Kindle) format.  CLICK HERE to access my books for your e-Reader.  EMAIL ME if you have trouble finding it or, to just say "Hi!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Who will care?

~Patient Self-Determination Act, implemented 12.01.1991~ Have you exercised your right to express your wishes in writing? If you don't the government will :-/ In case something happens, ask your physician now to: 1) Document the name/s of the person/people you want to make your healthcare decisions, and 2) Document specific terms for if and when you want to be resuscitated... in your medical record for you. ♥

Thanks for stopping by! 

Abortion: A relevant topic

As registered voters all across the United States make their way to and from the polls, one hot topic continues to stay in the forefront...FAMILY PLANNING.  For some, family planning means making a schedule for conceiving a child, and planning out every detail of the child's life.  However, from a political standpoint, Family Planning equates to PLANNED PARENTHOOD, which includes abortion.

Well, I won't beat around the bush on this one, especially since I've been criticized for being too objective; well, I guess it depends on who you ask ;-)  Personally, I would more than likely choose NOT to abort my child, I were to ever become pregnant at an "inopportune" time.  However, I do not believe abortion should be illegal.  A woman should have a right to choose whether to abort or carry a child, but not to use it as a measure of birth control.  Here's an article that I wrote about =======> ABORTION. 

As usual, thanks for stopping by!!!

Gasoline Rip-off!

So, here's my political question of the day: Which presidential candidate is going to stop gas stations like Kangaroo/Valero from charging absorbent amounts onto folks' credit cards? $25.07 does NOT = $100.00! Wth?

How does this tie into Health Education Tips?  Well, the principle of the matter has pissed me off, first of all.  This causes a slight rise in my blood pressure and stress, maybe increased production of hydrochloric acid, maybe intensifies other stressors =====> maybe ulcers later?  Either way, the stress of it all is not good for my health or yours.

Somebody needs to do something because this is not fair.  Maybe you can guess where I WON'T be purchasing gas from in the future?  You got it!  No more Kangaroo/Valero for me, baby >:-(

Once upon a cancer medication...

Ever thought about the implications of medication shortages?  Well, I did.  Here's the link to an article that I wrote about a shortage on a particular medication, commonly used to treat breast cancer.  Drug Shortage

Thanks for stopping by! 

Does Oral Sex Help?

Sorry, guys!  The Doctors just confirmed that having your significant other perform felacio on you is not going to make her nausea go away.  Instead, give her some ginger or a complimentary visit to an accupuncturist.  Well, I was rooting for you, guys!  But maybe you can watch the attached video click here=====> Go Away Nausea, and get her to feeling better.  So, fret not!  You might still be in the game, after all ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Compounding Pharmacy & Investigations

Oh my goodness!  So, I posted about the Framingham, Massachusetts compounding pharmacy responsible for the contaminated epidural injections and other products, causing the current meningitis outbreak.  Well, did you hear that the pharmacy has been accused of operating outside the limits of its license? 

Yep!  The pharmacy was raided by the FDA, but the investigation is still ongoing. Apparently, it's not just epidural products that are under scrutiny, either!  Now, it's contamination and illegal distribution of narcotics that are areas of interest...  So, we won't know the official details until the investigations are concluded.  Meanwhile, another source of infection has been identified, more infected patients have been reported, and more people have died.  We're up to 15 affected states now, as far north as New Hampshire, down to Florida, and as far west as Idaho.

If you're in the Brevard County area, be sure to follow my story entitled, "Meningitis Outbreak," in the Ebony News Today Newspaper. 

As usual, thanks for stopping by!

 

DNA and Pharmaceuticals

One of the things I learned from our pharmaceutical outcomes and policy seminar at UF this weekend is that my interest in pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics is more rare than I realized.  I only met one person (one of my professors, actually) who demonstrated a strong and particular interest in this area of pharmacy; below is a pic of me and two of my colleagues.  I certainly hope we can work out a research project for me, soon!  Here's the link to an earlier article that I wrote about the role of DNA in disease process and pharmaceutical treatment Pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics

As usual, thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to come back and see me, soon!
 

Time well spent

So, we're finishing up our second day of our seminar on pharmaceutical outcomes and policy today.  One of the interesting diseases that we are discussing is the treatment and cost of macular degeneration; an eye disease that affects an individual's ability to see fine details.  Just so happens, that I've already written an article on this particular disease several months ago.  So, now I get to think about what I wrote and relate it to this particular presentation...

Click here to access my article Domanique's article on AMD

We're discussing two drugs in the treatment of macular degeneration.  One is called "Avastin," and the other is called "Lucentis."  Apparently, Lucentis is the more expensive product.  It's interesting to discuss treatment options of a disease, cost, and contributing factors to compliance and results of treatment.

So, yeah... I am very pleased to spend almost my entire weekend at UF with my college of pharmacy professors and colleagues ;-)