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'Leave it to Beaver' star Jerry Mathers appears here on behalf of prescription plan

By Henry L. Davis - News Medical Reporter

Updated: 09/29/08 12:08 PM



 

Jerry Mathers of "Leave It To Beaver" fame visited Buffalo this morning to promote programs that offer free or low-cost prescription medications.

Mathers played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver from the late 1950s to the early 1960s in one of the longest-running television shows ever.

Today, he continues to act, having recently finished a three-month stint in the Broadway production of "Hairspray," but also makes many promotional appearances on behalf of health-related causes.

"A lot of people are struggling and are forced to make prescriptions a low priority. They have rent to pay and food bills," Mathers said outside of the Matthew Gajewski Medical Center at 1500 Broadway.

Mathers, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996, works with the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, an effort sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to help patients with chronic illnesses take advantage of hundreds of private and public prescription programs.

Information about the programs is available by calling 1-888-477-2669 or by visiting www.pparx.org.

hdavis@buffnews.com