Dear Editor, I entered one of our city of Morgan Hill public
buildings this week and was surprised to see a new public service
being provided called Concierge Pharmacy at the Centennial
Recreation Center.
So now the city of Morgan Hill offers pharmacy services at rec center
Dear Editor,
I entered one of our city of Morgan Hill public buildings this week and was surprised to see a new public service being provided called Concierge Pharmacy at the Centennial Recreation Center. I know we are short of money for vital public services and I realized immediately that this service was in short supply here in our small city. We can now purchase prescription drugs in the Centennial Recreation Center. Now we will not be burdened with traveling great distances just to acquire medications.
Virtually across the street from the Centennial Recreation Center is the Rite Aid Pharmacy.
I assume that a contract, for this new pharmacy service, was initiated based upon public notice and a bid process. I assume that the city of Morgan Hill purchasing and contracting officer notified all qualified vendors so that they could submit proposal to provide the best service at the best possible price.
I assume that the City Council studied the issue of prescription services and determined that this was an unmet public need.
I assume that we are not letting employees and especially not contracted service providers commit us to new types of public services on just their own initiative. Services once started, regardless of their original beginnings, quickly become a fixed commitment. I assume also that we are not allowing personnel who are not our cities professional contracting officers create obligations that commit for services and the use of public facilities.
A vendor, called HomeChoice Pharmacy, Inc., (1009 Blossom River Way, Suite 228,San Jose, CA) has set up a Concierge Pharmacy in the halls of the Centennial Recreation Center. The sign in the hallway indicates that this vendor will be dispensing prescription drugs to the public and that five percent of the proceeds will go to a sub-account of the Morgan Hill Foundation. Of course the people of dire need will be paying the 5 percent.
The California Secretary of State’s website states that the status of The HomeChoice Pharmacy Corporation is “suspended.”
I assume that if the service provider is not a corporation in good standing then the city of Morgan Hill is a partner and we will carry the liability responsibility.
We are using our public buildings, public staff, and public money to provide services that directly compete with private companies in Morgan Hill. Our public servants have created competing businesses in, for example: commercial fitness, supplemental education, crafts vending, child care, and now pharmaceuticals.
The proceeds from the enterprises created though do not appear to flow to our city general fund to help pay for vital public services like our Police protections.
Staten M. Johnston, Morgan Hill
