Sammy Yafai was inspired by a pharmacy owner who showed him
the importance of talking to patients about the challenges they
encounter, whether financial or insurance-related.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | OCT. 16-OCT. 22, 2020
BY BILL PARRY
As the possibility of a second
federal coronavirus economic
stimulus bill grows more
remote by the week, the New
York City Small Business Resource
Network was launched
with a newly-established team
of dedicated specialists embedded
within the city’s five chambers
of commerce.
These individuals will
work directly with local entrepreneurs
in the hardest-hit
communities, helping them
gain access to a range of programs
and services.
The Partnership for New
York City and the city’s Economic
Development Corporation
are leveraging their
relationships with corporate,
financial and professional
service sectors, as well as universities,
philanthropies and
expert volunteers to assemble
an unprecedented collaboration
among New Yorkers who
are determined to accelerate
small business recovery.
This public-private partnership
is funded by a $2.8
million grant from the Peter G.
Peterson Foundation in partnership
with the city’s Small
Business Services and the five
chambers.
“We are tremendously
grateful to the Partnership for
NYC, the Peterson Foundation
and NYCEDC for their support
in helping our great boroughs
hard-hit businesses get back
on their feet,” Queens Chamber
of Commerce President
Thomas J. Grech said. “Here at
the Queens Chamber, we have
been working around the clock,
providing resources to struggling
businesses throughout
the pandemic. The addition of
knowledgeable, skilled Business
Recovery Specialists to
the Queens Chamber team
will be critical in the next step
of our efforts, as we reopen and
get Queens back to business.”
Small business owners can
access the resources by contacting
a Recovery Specialist
in their borough at www.nycsmallbusinessresourcenetwork.
org. Assistance will be provided
in multiple languages.
“Queens businesses have
been hit with an unprecedented
series of challenges due to
COVID-19 and the resulting
economic downturn,” Acting
Queens Borough President
Sharon Lee said. “New York’s
economic recovery and rebuild
depends upon these businesses
bouncing back. This
critical partnership among
the Peterson Foundation, the
Partnership for New York City,
NYCEDC and the Chambers of
Commerce will help make sure
our local businesses have the
resources they need to come
roaring back at full speed.”
Nearly 1.3 million people
are employed by the city’s
236.000 small businesses with
fewer than 100 employees, and
more than half of the city’s
small business workers are
employed by businesses with
fewer than 20 employees; 90%
of the city’s small businesses
have fewer than 20 employees.
“The small business community
has been shaken by the
COVID-19 pandemic and this
is our latest commitment to
ensure that small businesses
get the resources they need by
connecting them to services to
help them to reopen and recover,”
Department of Small Business
Services Commissioner
Jonnel Doris said.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
During the COVID-19 pandemic,
Sammy Yafai, a pharmacy
manager at CVS in Auburndale,
was recognized for
prioritizing patients’ needs and
putting in extra hours to ensure
they have the best care possible
— from tracking down physicians
who aren’t operating during
regular office hours, to giving
vaccinations, to going the
extra length to refill prescriptions
and more.
In honor of American Pharmacists
Month in October, Yafai
was awarded “COVID Cares
Pharmacist” at the second-annual
Best of the Best Pharmacy
Awards on Oct. 1 by SingleCare,
the prescription savings service
that helps consumers save millions
of dollars on medications.
Yafai began working as a
pharmacist at CVS, located at
35-26 Francis Blvd., last November
and was promoted to a managerial
position in February.
“This is the ultimate recognition
I can get for being
a pharmacist,” Yafai said.
“When you’re working six to
seven days a week nonstop
while people were calling out
and becoming sick, and helping
all of these patients in need
— especially during COVID in
March and April — where most
doctors either stopped working
in their office or did everything
at home, it became impossible
for patients to see them or get
prescriptions.”
Yafai went to work every day
although he knew there was a
risk of contracting the virus, he
said. CVS had taken preventive
measures making sure their
employees were equipped with
masks, face shields and gloves.
“I had to continue working.
If I didn’t open the pharmacy,
how would all of these patients
get their medication? I felt there
was a responsibility,” Yafai
said.
There were certain challenges
Yafai encountered such as
having to live separately from
his family to risk jeopardizing
their health and safety.
As more employees were becoming
sick and calling out of
work, Yafai and his other staff
members at the pharmacy had
to work as hard as they could to
assist patients who were unable
to see their doctor.
“We had a patient come in
who was on blood pressure medication
and diabetic medication
and she ran out of refills,” Yafai
said. “The doctor worked
in multiple locations, but the
regular clinic was closed. We
searched for other locations,
and we ended up receiving the
prescriptions in almost three
hours.”
To show her appreciation,
the patient stops by the pharmacy
every week to give candy
to Yafai and his employees, he
said.
“It was a very stressful time
period, but also a proud moment
for me because I had an impact
in the community,” Yafai said.
Yafai was inspired by a
pharmacy owner who showed
him the importance of talking
to patients about the challenges
they encounter, whether financial
or insurance-related.
After dropping out of high
school, Yafai began working at
a bodega where he met a pharmacy
owner. It wasn’t long
before Yafai left his job at the
bodega, and started working at
Courtesy of Sammy Yafai
a pharmacy as a cashier and
then became a pharmacy technician.
“That’s when I started seeing
how pharmacists impacted
a community and it sparked my
interest in becoming a pharmacist,”
Yafai said.
To achieve this goal, Yafai
went back to school and got
his GED and attended Kingsborough
Community College.
He later transferred to CUNY
Brooklyn College and graduated
with a bachelor’s degree, and
then attended the University of
Buffalo earning a professional
doctorate in pharmacy.
As a pharmacist for the past
five years, Yafai said he’s proud
and happy to be able to help people.
He is also a CVS immunization
ambassador for the region,
and is pushing for pneumonia
and flu vaccinations as the cold
season is approaching.
“We play a major role in
helping the community, especially
when it comes to vaccinations,”
Yafai said. “We
don’t only dispense medication,
we counsel and make
sure people know how to take
their medications.”
Small businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
and are struggling to recover can find new resources and services
through the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Photo via Flickr
Queens Chamber offers
small biz specialists to
aid in economic recovery
Auburndale pharmacist
earns national award
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