Pharmacist denies inhaler to woman having asthma attack for being a dollar and change short

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: CVS, inhaler, health news

(NaturalNews) A New Jersey woman suffering a severe asthma attack was recently denied an inhaler at her local CVS pharmacy because she was a little short on cash. According to a recent report at Fox 5 in New York, the pharmacist at the CVS in Garwood, N.J., left Katherine O'Connor to suffer on the ground because her boyfriend Jack only had a $20 bill, which was a dollar and some change short of covering the total cost of the inhaler.

"I had exactly a twenty-dollar bill. It came to twenty-one and change," Jack said to Fox 5. "I offered him my cell phone, my wallet. I said I live right around the corner. I come in here all the time."

But the pharmacist would not comply, said Jack. The couple ended up leaving the store empty-handed, Katherine still having an attack. Jack ended up calling a paramedic friend who was able to arrive quickly and treat Katherine. She recovered, but the couple is shocked at the way they were treated by the pharmacist.

When asked about the situation, the CVS store manager allegedly had no comment. The CVS corporate office, however, responded with a statement saying that "[t]he well-being of our customers is our highest priority and we are looking into this matter."

CVS was recently implicated in a government lawsuit for illegally selling over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to criminals who used them to make methamphetamines. The pharmacy chain pleaded guilty to the charges, agreeing to pay a $75 million civil penalty and forfeit $2.6 million in profits from the drugs. You can read more about the case at: https://www.naturalnews.com/030065_CVS_metham...

Sources for this story include:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/10/15/wom...