Mending the Hole in the Health Care Safety Net: Medco Foundation and Dispensary of Hope Introduce National Pharmacy and Prescription Drug Program to Clinics for the Uninsured

DETROIT, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent national survey, 17.1 percent of Americans lack health insurance, and more than nine million of the nation's uninsured rely on federally qualified health centers (FQHC), non-profit community clinics and free clinics each year for primary care. While these clinics serve the critical health care needs of the uninsured, patients oftentimes cannot afford the medications prescribed by the clinic's physicians, or navigate a fragmented system that only offers partial solutions.  This is a particularly growing problem for America's working poor.

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Today, Medco Foundation and Dispensary of Hope (DOH), a not-for-profit pharmacy-focused social venture for the uninsured, introduced a new, national initiative to substantially improve the supply, delivery and management of critical prescription drugs to thousands of uninsured Americans who are managing a chronic illness.

"Congress is working hard to create a health care safety net for the uninsured, but the need is so great that we still require support programs to fill the cracks through which too many people still fall," said Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), during the program launch celebration at the Joy-Southfield Community Development Corporation in Detroit.  "Today, through this Medco Foundation and Dispensary of Hope collaboration, we have made a tremendous step toward mending this hole, helping to ensure that those who need critical medications have access to them when they need them."

The initiative will, for the first time, mobilize multiple generic drug manufacturers to donate significant supplies of medications to match clinical need among the uninsured, introduce medication management and drug safety systems to 45 free clinics, and provide pharmacy training and support services to clinic staff and physicians to help close gaps in care.

"With the help of Medco Foundation, we are able to replace the existing fragmented system with a smarter approach to medicine for the uninsured – providing coordinated care with medications that match patients' needs," said Christopher Palombo, CEO of Dispensary of Hope.  "Until now, patients received the diagnosis, but not always the dose; today, they will benefit from more complete care."

Federal Qualified Health Centers, non-profit community clinics and free clinics work hard to provide free medical care for the uninsured, but they have limited pharmacy care resources, and therefore need additional support to provide continuity and coordination of care for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.  These additional resources can help ensure that patients are filling needed prescriptions and adhering to their medication regimen.  Otherwise, these conditions could worsen, leading to additional and potentially more costly medical expenditures.

Patients with chronic and complex conditions comprise about 50 percent of the total U.S. population.  Adding to the problem, those with chronic conditions are particularly hard hit: as many as 11.4 million working-age Americans with chronic conditions are uninsured, further indicating a need for long-term, consistent prescription drug assistance. According to the Center for Studying Health System Change, 69 percent of uninsured people with multiple chronic conditions have reported not being able to fill their prescription because of its cost.

"Nearly 90 percent of chronic conditions may be treated with pharmacy care as a first line of defense, but too often uninsured patients cannot afford to buy these needed medications," said Pamela Miller, Esq., Vice President, Sustainability and Community Investment, Medco, and Executive Director, Medco Foundation.  "Through our collaboration with DOH, we are making a stronger, smarter safety net by bringing Medco's prescription drug management system to a population that, historically, hasn't had the benefit of drug therapy management."

Medco Foundation and DOH have worked together to define a list of prescription drugs that best represent the therapeutic classes of those in need, focusing mostly on chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension.  The initiative will also provide the clinics with training and education in medication management for its clinical staff from specialist pharmacists at Medco Health Solution, Inc.; and will introduce a medication management system developed by Medco to help clinic physicians organize and coordinate medication supplies, and individual medication regimes for patients who rely on the clinics for their care, many of whom need multiple chronic medications.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 33 percent of uninsured people have one chronic condition; 15 percent of those without insurance have two-or-more chronic conditions.

The initiative will be introduced to 15 clinics within the next six weeks in cities that have a significant need: Houston, TX; Detroit, MI; Lebanon, PA., Washington, D.C.; San Antonio, TX; Philadelphia, PA; and several cities in New Jersey, Connecticut and Ohio.

For more information about Medco Foundation and Dispensary of Hope's collaboration, please visit http://medco.mediaroom.com/medcofoundation.

About the Dispensary of Hope
Founded in 2003, the Dispensary of Hope is a not-for-profit social venture that provides sustainable access to medicine for underinsured communities through a growing network of dispensing sites across the country. The Dispensary has collected and distributed tens of millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals and filled more than 200,000 prescriptions for patients who otherwise couldn't afford them. For more information, visit www.dispensaryofhope.org or call 1-888-428-HOPE (4673).

About Medco Foundation
Medco Foundation was established with the generous support of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MHS).  The Foundation focuses on supporting activities aimed at educating and informing the general public about health, wellness and medicine safety issues; providing low income, disadvantaged and other distressed populations and communities with access to medicine and information about medicine; providing support to people and communities impacted by catastrophes and disaster; and fostering and promoting opportunities for volunteerism and civic engagement generally.  Medco Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation.

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacy® and its proprietary solutions, clinical research and innovations are part of Medco, making medicine smarter™ for millions of Americans.

With more than 20,000 employees worldwide dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2010 revenues of $66 billion, Medco ranks 34th on the 2011 Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies. 

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Medco Foundation