Mt. Carmel pharmacist discusses
COVID-19 and the vaccine
BY JASON COHEN
Vanessa Nalaboff began
her career at Mt. Carmel
Pharmacy and Surgicals in
Bronx Little Italy shortly after
9/11 and today she is helping
the community overcome
COVID-19 and get vaccinated.
Nalaboff, 48, is one of the
few employees at Mt. Carmel
who did not get the coronavirus
during the past year. Some
of her colleagues were out up
to fi ve weeks.
She told the Bronx Times
this was defi nitely the scariest
and most challenging time of
her career.
“I knew everyone was going
to be okay,” she explained.
“I just kind of felt it in my
gut.”
Growing up in Long Island
Nalaboff wasn’t sure what she
wanted to do for a living, but
had a passion for math and
science. One of her brothers
went to pharmacy school with
Roger Paganelli, owner of Mt.
Carmel Pharmacy and that
led her to where she is working
today.
She attended St. John’s University
College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences and from
there the rest is history. Her
job has become a second home
and over the years she has
gotten to know the customers
quite well.
“The community pharmacy
always seems to have
evolved to whatever the community
needs,” she said. “I
feel that Mt. Carmel is always
up to the challenge. We’re the
most accessible health care
professionals available to anyone
at anytime.”
When the pandemic arrived
a year ago no one knew
what to expect, she explained.
Deemed essential, the pharmacy
remained open, but
things were not easy.
According to Nalaboff, at
the height of COVID-19, Mt.
Carmel had many scared customers
• Keep your gathering small and celebrate
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• Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines,
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BRONX TIMES R 14 EPORTER, APRIL 2-8, 2021
and some that lost
their lives to the virus. Nalaboff
stressed that she did her
best to stay focused and reassure
residents that things will
be okay.
“I actually have the type of
personality where I thrive in
chaos,” she stated.
Now, a year later, things
are slowly headed in the right
direction. In February pharmacies
were allowed to administer
vaccines and Mt.
Carmel set up a tent outside
where people who qualify and
make appointments will receive
a shot.
Nalaboff is glad the pharmacy
is vaccinating people
because not only is it hopefully
preventing them from
contracting COVID-19, but it
will help people feel a sense of
normalcy and get their lives
back.
She noted that she enjoys
the 15 minutes after they receive
the shot as the patients
Mt. Carmel pharmacist Vanessa Nalaboff Courtesy of Vanessa Nalaboff
share stories.
“It’s 100 percent the most
fulfi lling part of my career,”
she remarked. “You really get
to see how you’re making a
difference.”
Celebrate Easter at Home to
Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
For more information, visit nyc.gov/health/coronavirus.
If you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, book your appointment
by calling 877-829-4692 (877-VAX-4NYC) or visiting nyc.gov/vaccinefinder.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc
Commissioner
/coronavirus
/vaccinefinder