Fire department receives donation from local pharmacy

Rod Davis, Asst. Chief for the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department called to tell the Herald about the generosity of Prescriptions Plus Pharmacy, located on Chapman Highway across from Bower Field. Davis, who is head of the EMS program for the fire department responded to a call at the pharmacy this past week to help someone with a heart problem. “While I was there, I told one of the owners, DaOnda Payne, that we needed five of these meters to help so we could monitor people with diabetes better. She got right on the phone and called her drug representative and told me we would have five of them by Monday and that they would donate them,” stated Davis. “I called LifeScan and spoke to Erika Murchie,” DaOnda told The Herald. “When I explained the need for a donation, she didn’t hesitate.” Erika Murchie, who is professional sales specialist for the LifeScan company, and shares the sales area with Brent Wallace, was happy to answer the call for assistance. “We want to help the community out if they have a need,” she said. “We are getting the newest model that they have,” explained Davis. “It will help us out tremendously. For instance if we have a known diabetic, the average blood sugar is 80-120. The meters gauge where their blood sugar level is.” If we have a diabetic patient that is unconscious their blood sugar is either sky high or low. If it’s low we can give them dextrose (sugar water), which raises their blood sugar back to normal and brings them around within seconds. The average cost for the LifeScan OneTouch blood meters is around $100 each. LifeScan is a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson.