Media Statement & Quotes from Good Neighbor Pharmacy on N95 Masks
Throughout the pandemic, masking has proven to be an essential means to abate the spread of COVID-19, and giving Americans access to high-quality N95 masks is critical to slowing this current surge. We’re pleased to be working with the federal government to support the distribution of N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile to our Good Neighbor Pharmacy customers currently enrolled in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. This includes nearly 1,600 independent community pharmacies nationwide. We are planning for masks to hit our stores by the end of next week. For updates, please visit mygnp.com.
“At AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy, we applaud the Biden Harris Administration for making N95 masks more widely available to Americans and once again recognizing our nation’s pharmacies and their ability to get essential products out quickly and equitably,” said Jenni Zilka, President of Good Neighbor Pharmacy. “As with the COVID-19 vaccination effort, Good Neighbor Pharmacy is ready to roll up our sleeves and help get these masks out to Americans across the country. Our independent community pharmacy members are engrained in rural towns, supporting communities with high social vulnerability, in major metropolitan areas and everywhere in between. Pharmacists have proven themselves capable of delivering high-quality care and their stores highly accessible to patients. Our pharmacies have gone above and beyond, and we’re once again ready to help get the job done.”
“When I saw the news that the Biden-Harris Administration planned to make N95 face masks from the Strategic National Stockpile available to Americans, I felt joy and relief,” said Chichi Ilonzo Momah, Pharmacist and Owner of Springfield Pharmacy, a Good Neighbor Pharmacy in Pennsylvania. “These face masks are one of the safest options out there, and they’re what I provide my staff to help protect them day in and day out at the pharmacy. However, these masks haven been hard to find and costly. Making these masks free and accessible at pharmacies – which are the most accessible healthcare destinations in our country – will hopefully protect more Americans and help bring an end to this latest wave.”
“Pulling N95 masks from our Strategic National Stockpile to support Americans during this Omicron wave was absolutely the right call by the Biden-Harris Administration. And as an independent pharmacist, I cannot wait to serve my community and do my part to help get these masks out,” said Kevin DeMass, RPh, President & CEO of the Apothecary Shoppe, Inc, a Good Neighbor Pharmacy in Salt Lake City, Utah. “I have a significant patient population living with HIV and AIDS, and this latest wave has been another terrifying chapter in this pandemic for these patients in particular. These masks are going to go a long way in my community and we’re very grateful to the Administration for making this happen.”