Ex-professor pushes CVS probe after Central Pa. pharmacist suicides

• By Lucy Albright/LNP | LancasterOnline

In the wake of two suicides of Lancaster County pharmacists, a former pharmacy professor has raised the alarm by calling for state regulators to investigate nationwide pharmacy chain CVS.

In his July 4 complaint to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Daniel A. Hussar expressed concern about the deaths of Robert S. Reybok and George Edward “Mason” Porta, and called for an investigation into staffing and workload at the CVS stores where the men worked.

“A question exists whether factors at their workplace contributed to their tragic decisions to take their own lives,” Hussar wrote. “Whether or not there were workplace factors in their decisions, a second important question is whether customers were at increased risk of errors and harm because of the workplace environment in these stores.”

Hussar is a former dean and professor at Saint Joseph’s University’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and writes a newsletter called The Pharmacist Activist. The East Hempfield Township resident has been paid for his service as an expert witness in lawsuits against CVS, though the cases didn’t go to trial, he said.

Reybok and Mason Porta’s deaths — on June 12 and June 15 respectively — were both ruled suicides, according to documents provided by the Lancaster County Office of the Coroner. A third CVS pharmacist mentioned in Hussar’s complaint, Kevin M. Uhll of Bridgeport, also died by suicide, according to the office of the Montgomery County coroner. His death was April 10.

LNP | LancasterOnline follows Associated Press guidelines and doesn’t generally report on suicides or suicide attempts, unless the person is well known or the circumstances are unusual or public in some way.

Families, CVS react

Michael Porta said his son was someone who wanted to help people — he had gotten a $5 an hour raise for an employee he oversaw at the CVS, Michael Porta learned after his death. But the 28-year-old was also dealing with depression, and allegedly not receiving the staffing support he wanted at the pharmacy.

“I honestly believe he didn’t plan on (taking his own life). I think he got so frustrated with corporate, it was just too convenient … to pull the trigger,” Michael Porta said.

Mason Porta was also aware of Reybok’s death days before, Michael Porta said. The two knew each other through their roles as CVS pharmacists.

Kevin Uhll often complained about work conditions and his sense of a lack of support at the company, according to Jennifer Uhll Snyder, one of his sisters. He had left CVS for another job around two months before his death, his mother Rosemary Uhll said.

“I don’t necessarily think the workload would have been a problem had he had the tools, the employees that he needed to manage it. But he didn’t. So it’s not that he couldn’t handle a lot, the man was a genius, but … it was above and beyond,” said his sister, Elizabeth Bond.

Bond said that her brother’s suicide was unexpected. She and another brother didn’t find a note from him.

“There was never an expression of a reason, and he had a really great life,” Bond said.

One relative of Reybok declined to comment and others did not respond to LNP | LancasterOnline’s attempts to make contact.

In his complaint, Hussar asks for an investigation to look into prescription and immunization numbers that pharmacists were allegedly expected to meet at Reybok and Mason Porta’s stores, and whether additional staffing was requested and provided. Hussar named the East Lampeter Township store at 1624 Lincoln Highway East as Reybok’s workplace and the Lancaster city store at 32-54 West Lemon St. as Mason Porta’s.

Hussar had been told that the Lemon Street store was receiving prescriptions from two closed Rite Aid stores, he alleged in the complaint, a move he said would “significantly add to an already large prescription volume.” Hussar told LNP | LancasterOnline that he learned this from a pharmacist who didn’t work at CVS, who had spoken to Mason Porta on the phone about a prescription transfer. Hussar declined to provide the other pharmacist’s name.

Rite Aid, which has filed for bankruptcy, is shuttering hundreds of stores across the country. Six Lancaster County stores have already closed or are slated for closure, LNP | LancasterOnline reported in July.

When reached by email for comment, CVS Health spokesperson Kara Page expressed condolences for the deceased pharmacists, and said the company is offering counseling to those affected. CVS is committed to ensuring proper staffing, and has made almost 50 Lancaster-area pharmacy hires this year, she said.

Staffing and workload

Though rare errors happen under even the best conditions, high workloads and stress increase the risk of mistakes, Hussar said.

“The more the stress, the higher the workload, the greater the number of errors that are going to be made,” Hussar said.

Hussar has heard from pharmacists who are under stress at work. Though he calls CVS the “worst offender,” the problem is also present at Walgreens and at Rite Aid when it was still active, he said.

“I no longer try to count the number of times I’ve heard from a pharmacist, ‘The day in the store was like a blur, I just pray that I didn’t make any serious mistake,’” Hussar said.

In his complaint, Hussar asked that steps be taken if it is determined that the workplaces of the dead pharmacists were “understaffed and stressed for the employees.”

His recommendations include the creation and publication of a detailed report on errors at the stores, suspension or revocation of store licenses, a determination on the accountability of CVS district leaders and regional directors, a report on the number of suicides and mental health crises of CVS employees in the state, minimum staffing rules for CVS pharmacies and other steps.

LNP | LancasterOnline asked the Department of State to confirm whether it received Hussar’s complaint. Citing confidentiality laws, spokesperson Matt Heckel said the department can’t confirm or deny whether complaints have been filed or whether investigations have taken place. But the department reviews every complaint.

“After investigation, cases are reviewed to determine whether formal action is warranted; formal disciplinary action may include an Immediate Temporary Suspension, an Order to Show Cause, and/or a Consent Agreement,” Heckel said by email. “Disciplinary action imposed by the Boards may result in a Final Order suspending or revoking of a license. A licensee whose license has been revoked must wait at least five years to request reinstatement of the license.”

If disciplinary action is not initiated, the department’s Professional Compliance Office does not provide additional information about the case to the person who filed the complaint.

‘Heartbroken’

Page said that the company is “heartbroken” by the death of the Pennsylvania pharmacy employees, calling them “trusted professionals, respected coworkers and cherished members of our CVS family.”

“Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and teammates. We are doing everything we can to

support our colleagues during this incredibly difficult time, including offering counseling and emotional support services to anyone affected by this tragedy,” Page said.

Page added that CVS won’t speculate on the circumstances around the deaths out of respect for the deceased and their loved ones, and expressed concern about “others using these individuals and their families to advance personal agendas.”

Page said CVS is committed to ensuring appropriate staffing and resources at its locations.

“Ongoing actions we’ve taken in recent years include scheduling additional support, enhancing recruitment and hiring, and strengthening training programs. We’ve also introduced innovative tools to support workload and workflow, enabling our pharmacy teams to better focus on patient care,” she said.

Page said that CVS Health offers several resources for employees dealing with emotional, relationship or mental health concerns, including no-cost counseling sessions offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Page said that ahead of taking on prescription files from closing Rite Aid stores, CVS has been focused on making sure pharmacies are properly staffed and pharmacy teams are properly equipped. The company is confident its Pennsylvania teams will be able to handle the prescriptions.

Page pointed to this year’s hiring of more than 1,500 pharmacy team members in Pennsylvania, nearly 50 of which were in the “Lancaster area.”

GET HELP

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, contact the following organizations:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, suicidepreventionlifeline.org, or call, text or chat 988. (The previous number 800-273-8255 still works.)

• Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via TTY at 800-799-4889.

• Lancaster County Crisis Intervention, 717-394-2631.

• LGBTQ+-specific resources: thetrevorproject.org/get-help.

• Veterans who are in crisis can call the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and then pressing 1, by texting to 838255, or chatting online (lanc.news/help4vets). This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential.