Bernabei
CHARLESTON – Attorney General Darrell McGraw has chosen a Weirton pharmacist to serve on the Citizen's Advisory Committee.
McGraw cited John Bernabei's extensive experience and leadership in the Weiton community as a reason for naming him to the committee.
Bernabei is a pharmacist and independent pharmacy owner with the Weirton-based Tri-State Medical Group, which includes the Follansbee and Tri-State Pharmacies.
Bernabei's medical supply company, Durable Supply, serves all of West Virginia, putting him in regular contact with many of the state's citizens.
"It is an honor to serve on Attorney General McGraw's Citizens Advisory Committee," Bernabei said. "I work with the public on a daily basis and have been a sounding board for years. As such, I have become aware of certain flags for consumer fraud that otherwise might stay under the radar. Because of an average citizen's good nature and willingness to trust others, they can indeed be victimized."
Bernabei said as a member of the committee, he looks forward to helping citizens in the Weirton area to get the information and help they need to be savvy consumers and avoid fraud and scams.
The Citizen's Advisory Committee was created by McGraw in 2007 and reaches out to communities throughout the state to provide personalized access to consumer protection resources for all West Virginians.
The committee offers consumers with questions and complaints the opportunity for direct contact with a representative of the Attorney General's Office. Barnabei will be one of 35 committee members located around the state.
"Opening channels of communication through our Consumer Advisors is one of the most effective tools that my office can use in educating consumers," McGraw said. "It enables our citizens to make smarter choices and reduces unnecessary litigation."
A life-long resident of the Northern Panhandle, Bernabei serves of the boards of directors for the Weirton Medical Center Hospital, Make a Wish Foundation and Weirton Chamber of Commerce.
Bernabei is also a member of the advisory board for the WVU School of Pharmacy. He and his wife, Sue Bernabei, have three children and are active members in the Trinity United Methodist Church of New Cumberland.