During last Tuesday evening’s June 16 selectboard meeting, Woodstock resident Todd Erceg came before the board asking for a letter of support to open a pharmacy in Woodstock following the closing of the Ottauquechee Pharmacy last month.
This week, Erceg sat down with the Standard to discuss his project and how he plans to make it a reality.
“I remember that Friday afternoon in May when a friend texted me the Ottauquechee Pharmacy was closing that day. So, that night I went online, and I looked to see if there were any grants for pharmacies,” he told the Standard. Erceg works in grant administration and, therefore, says he has fast, easy access to apply without a long waiting period.
In his search, Erceg found a USDA grant for Distance Learning and Telemedicine. He says he will need $180,000 to create a pharmacy space in Woodstock, complete with a private room where people can make telemedical calls to pharmacists to ask questions, pick up their prescriptions, or consult with staff members.
Erceg will apply for the grant on June 30 and will know whether he is one of the four recipients by September of this year. His plan is to raise 15% of the $180,000 through local donations and private funding, with the ultimate goal of having this project completed by June 2027.
For more on this, please see our June 25 edition of the Vermont Standard.
