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Media reports abound about the current health care debate. Confusion reigns, and the future of legislation is uncertain. I am, therefore, particularly pleased to offer some unmitigated good news on the health care front.



First, I'd like to tell you how I ferreted out this valuable information. It's all my dog's fault. Poor Emma spent too much of the last year or so at Berglund Animal Hospital because of her urinary tract issues. Four or five times in recent months, she has been on antibiotics to clear up the problem. Like a two-year old in the midst of a temper tantrum, the condition has been impervious to reason.



Dr. Howes did not surrender. He decided on a full-court press. He prescribed a six-week regimen of the medication in order to totally annihilate those stubborn bacteria. Now, I love my dog. But, I've already spent hundreds of dollars over the past months and was not rushing headlong to spend more, with absolutely no guarantee of success.



When I expressed my reservations, Dr. Howes told me about a program of free antibiotics offered at Meijer, a hypermarket in not-so nearby Rolling Meadows. I expressed my amazement, looking for the catch. He assured me that, if I presented myself at the pharmacy counter with the prescription that he would give me, I would walk out minutes later with a two-week supply of antibiotics. Yes, I would have to trek back there at two week intervals to finish Emma's six-week cycle. But, I was more than willing to do that in order to save hundreds of dollars.



So, several weeks ago, Emma and I piled in the car to check out what seemed to be too good to be true. I duly presented my prescription to Sue, the pharmacist on duty, and was rewarded with a two-week supply of one of the seven* free antibiotics that Meijer offers. We chatted about the program. We were both enthused. It's been in place for three years. In that time, the 190 branches of Meijer have given away $33 million of antibiotics.



Here's the clincher. As long as you have a doctor's prescription, anyone in your family - adult, child or family pet - can take advantage of this offer. You don't have to be sneaky about it. They are delighted to help out pet owners as well as just plain, under-the-weather humans.



right there at their website. Here is what Mark Murray, the president of the company, has to say:



"Rising health care costs are having a dramatic impact on families across the country, especially here in the Midwest. Our free antibiotic program is the next step Meijer is taking to lead the industry toward improving the health of our customers. It is all about delivering higher standards."



Since I wasn't able to connect with anyone higher-up at the company, I did a little research on my own. Meijer is a large, family owned business, which started in Greenville, Michigan, in 1934. Hendryk Meijer was a barber who went into the grocery business during the Great Depression. In 1962, Meijer became the first hypermarket: combination supermarket and department store. Over the years, it has expanded beyond Michigan. Now, half of the branches are in four other states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky) and they had combined sales of over $13 billion in 2006. Presently, two grandsons of Hendryk Meijer are at the helm.



I was familiar with the store from when my daughter Yael attended the University of Michigan. Many a time, we headed to Meijer to stock up on groceries, school supplies, and to outfit her apartment. I could also fill up my tank before heading back to Chicago, truly one-stop shopping. I had no idea the store had come to Illinois.



The chain is quite philanthropic. Over the years, they have given away millions of dollars to various local causes. During Katrina, they loaded up trucks and headed to the Gulf Coast with bottled water, food, and supplies, arriving before the government did. Considering that I'm heading to New Orleans in a few hours on a Katrina mission, this warmed my heart.



Here's even more good news. Since June, 2008, Meijer has also begun offering a similar program of free pre-natal vitamins for mothers-to-be. And I think that's simply terrific.



So, check it out and tell everyone you know. They may not want to toot their own horn but there's no reason we can't. Who knows? Maybe Meijer's generosity will be contagious and other pharmacies will follow suit. That would be further cause for celebration.



***



These are the covered antibiotics;

"�Amoxicillin

"�Cephalexin

"�SMZ-TMP

"�Ciprofloxacin

"�Ampicillin

"�Penicillin VK

"�Erythromycin





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Joan Brunwasser Social Media Pages:

Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which since 2005 existed for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. Our goal: to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Because the problems with electronic (computerized) voting systems include a lack of (more...)



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