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Family-owned
pharmacy
branches out
By Courtney L. Saylor
Herald Staff Writer
Along one wall in
Reynolds Pharmacy, the
shop transforms from a
mom-and-pop drugstore into
a place folks can buy arm
chairs, shoes and motorized
scooters.
Owners Bretton and
Stacey Walberg saw a need
and found a way to fill it.
Mrs. Walberg said they
decided to expand into med-
ical equipment because cus-
tomers asked for it.
“We saw the chance to
help them out,” Mrs. Wal-
berg said.
They sell walkers and
canes, special toilet seats,
socks, wheelchairs and
braces and there’s a selec-
tion of stock in-store so peo-
ple can try it and try things
out.
“We want them to get a
good feel for how it’s going
to work,” Mrs. Walberg said.
Drew Dershimer, home
medical equipment specialist
for the stores, oversees the
section.
“There’s a big need for it
in this area,” Dershimer said.
The Walbergs own nine
stores in Pennsylvania and
Ohio and Mr. Walberg said
they chose the Reynolds one
to house the medical equip-
ment business because of its
central location.
He said they have a sec-
tion at their store in An-
dover, Ohio, too. And they
have contracts with most ma-
jor insurance companies.
“This fits in so well with
our business model,” Wal-
berg said. “The people were
already here.”
The biggest sellers are
bathroom safety equipment
and the lift chairs, Walberg
said.
Dershimer said their busi-
ness is steady and they get a
mix of clientele. A lot of
times people come in to buy
items for their aging parents,
he said.
With the addition of the
equipment, the Reynolds
store became even more of a
one-stop shop for people get-
ting prescriptions refilled.
The shelves also hold
everything from Willow Tree
sculptures and candy to
cards and school supplies.
Walberg said they change
up the products they sell to
help them compete with larg-
er chains and try offer items
customers can’t get other
places.
A 1992 Greenville High
School graduate, Walberg
grew up in the pharmacy
business, as his parents Den-
nis and Marcia Walberg
owned the Jamestown Phar-
macy and at one time the
Reynolds one.
Customers at the store,
which is in Reynolds Plaza on
state Route 18 in Pymatuning
Township, are loyal.
“We’re so thankful for
that,” Mrs. Walberg said.
The Reynolds Pharmacy is
open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday through Friday and
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat-
urday.
The store also offers free
deliver for prescriptions and
medical equipment.
Info: 724-6
www.walbergfa
cies.com
Premium break
provides a push
By Carol Ann Gregg
CNHI Correspondent
Like many Grove City
Medical Center employees
who chose to participate in
its health assessment pro-
gram, Deborah Hummel had
to snuff out her longtime
smoking habit.
The program links em-
ployees’ health insurance
premiums to efforts to im-
prove their health. Those
who can show an improve-
ment, can see their insur-
ance costs cut nearly in half.
To take advantage of that,
Hummel had to agree and
sign up to stop smoking dur-
ing 2011.
“I knew I needed to quit,”
Hummel said. “But I waited
until the very last day to
make the commitment.”
Smoking had become part
of her life when growing up.
“I never smoked in front
of my parents,’’ she said.
“There were four of us kids.
We all smoked. When I saw
that my older brother didn’t
smoke in front of my par-
ents, I sure wasn’t going to
do it. The other three had al-
ready quit. I was the only
holdout,” she said.
Hummel decided that she
would quit smoking on Su-
per Bowl Sunday 2011.
“The Steelers weren’t play-
ing so good in the first half
of the game,” she said. “So I
bargained with myself. ‘If
they score by the end of the
half, I will quit.’ Then, ‘if they
get a touchdown and a field
goal by the half, I will quit.’
She added she was de-
pending on quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger to make the
decision for her.
“That didn’t turn out too
well,” Hummel said with the
smile. “I knew I really want-
ed to quit this time. I had
tried before. I quit when I
was pregnant but when the
baby was three days late, I
thought those were three
days I could have had a ciga-
rette.”
In looking at her options,
Hummel decided that she
would use a nicotine patch to
help her get started.
“I really didn’t like the
sticky bandage gunk on my
arm. I would put on a new
patch after my shower. One
morning, after about two
weeks, I realized that I had
forgotten to put on the patch
the day before.’’
Hummel figured if she
could go 24 hours without
cravings sans the patch, she
wouldn’t need it any more.
Ultimately, she used the
patch for about two weeks.
Employees were offered
two options:
ä Traditional coverage
would not require wellness
requirements with a cost of
$54.17 per month for individ-
ual coverage and $195 per
month for family coverage
during 2009.
ä The Healthy Dividends
coverage that first year was
$25 for an individual and $90
per month for family cover-
age.
To get the lower rate, em-
ployees and their spouses
had to sign a pledge to per-
form the requirements of the
program.
The hospital administra-
tion doesn’t have access to
any of the employees’ scores
or what they have been ad-
vised to do by their physi-
cians unless the employee
shares the information with
them.
From the anecdotal stories
they are hearing, employees
are not only reaping the de-
crease in health insurance
premiums but are enjoying
the improvement in their
health.
Hummel found that to
keep her mind off smoking
she had to keep busy. She
began a major housecleaning
and redecorating projects.
She scrubbed and painted all
the walls in her house to re-
move the smoke film and
odor. She completely redeco-
rated her living room and for
the first time purchased a
new sofa.
“I had always gotten a sofa
from someone who was up-
grading,” she said. “And, I
knew that any sofa would ab-
sorb the smell of the
smoke.”
Hummel recalled that ear-
ly on in her effort to quit
smoking, she would bargain
with herself. Before she
would have had a cigarette
on the way to work because
GCMC is a smoke free envi-
ronment. So, if she got to
Cranberry Road on her way
to her office on Hillcrest Av-
enue, she would not have
time to light-up before she
got to the office.
As the director of patient
accounts for GCMC, there
are four women in that of-
fice, including Hummel, who
were able to quit last year.
“One of those that quit,
didn’t even have her health
insurance through the hospi-
tal,” she said.
Hummel had
habit and figu
saved $3,000 las
“What I reall
dom,” she said.
have to hurry
meal at a resta
outside for a s
the others ar
leave,” she said.
freedom is liber
huge.”
Outlook
Sunday,
February 1
Sharon, Pennsyl
F
O
N T H E
G
O
H
EALTH
ÿ E
DUCATION
Saturd
Courtne
Stacy Walberg sits on a lift chair at Reynolds Pharmacy. She is flanked by Drew Dershimer, h
equipment specialist, at left, and her husband Bretton Walberg. The Walbergs own Reynolds Pharma
other drug stores in the region. They’ve recently expanded their business into the home medical equi
Jaso
Deb Hummel works at her desk in the business office for the Grove
Center. The hospital offers employees who agree to improve their healt
their insurance premiums. Hummel was able to quit smoking thanks to t
Courtne
The home medical equipment secton of Reynolds Pharmacy.
Filling
a need
REYNOLDS
GROVE CITY AREA
Employee incentivized to kick habit
See
KI