Leading Charitable Pharmacy Association Raises Awareness During National Minority Health Month On The Opportunity To Create A Charity Pharmacy Using A New "How-To" Manual
April is National Minority Health Month, and medication access is critical for health
A charity pharmacy is a powerful local resource to increase health and drive down community costs of healthcare
Apr 02, 2019, 12:32 ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CharityPharmacy.org is a national association representing charity pharmacies – licensed prescription medication dispensers which make use of donated medication and manufacturer generosity, serving low income uninsured and under-insured populations. CharityPharamcy.org has recently published a "how to" manual to assist community leaders and practitioners in opening a licensed charity pharmacy to serve the uninsured. This playbook is designed for state and local political leaders, community leaders, and healthcare leaders in creating a community charity pharmacy. The playbook, which can be found at https://charitypharmacy.org/playbook/, is designed to help leaders create a nonprofit licensed pharmacy operation.
Jon Rosmann, Chairman of CharityPharmacy.org and CEO of Iowa's SafeNetRx, a state charitable medication distributor, says, "The publication of the playbook is the culmination of hundreds of volunteer hours from leaders of notable national charity pharmacies. The playbook is designed to make the process of opening a charity pharmacy easier and less risky. CharityPharmacy.org leaders hope to share the vision to create a charity pharmacy network that reaches every underserved patient in the country."
Chris Palombo, the CEO of Dispensary of Hope, a key supplier of manufacturer and distributor donated medication to community charity pharmacies, adds, "Charity pharmacies are important for the health of our nation. They link the generosity of the generic and branded medication industries to the low income, uninsured patient. For each patient served by a charity pharmacy, patients are made more healthy, and local hospitals save between $600 and $2,000 annually in costs. Increased health means increased quality of life and employability, which increases local and state taxable income and community resilience."
Over the past five years, the United States charity care system has been revolutionized by the development of a new system of healthcare delivery for the low income, uninsured population. A community charity pharmacy is a pharmacy which serves with the expressed purpose of improving health outcomes among the vulnerable by reducing health disparities and increasing medication access. Charity pharmacies can be located inside of free clinics and hospitals, or structured as standalone operations. There are estimated to be about 250 such operations in the United States.
Rosmann added, "Charity pharmacies make use of the donated and discounted inventories of charitable medication, through programs such as SIRUM, Direct Relief, Americares, Dispensary of Hope, RxOutreach, manufacturer patient assistance programs, and other sources of generosity. With the publishing of the Playbook available at CharityPharmacy.org, opening a new operation has never been easier."
Community Charity Pharmacies typically stock more than one hundred of the most needed medications – therapies which treat conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression/anxiety. Patients may access these medications after completing a short enrollment form. From there, medications are dispensed similar to those purchased at a retail pharmacy, with the same education, medication therapy management, and pharmacy services. However, the medication is provided for free to the qualifying patient.
To access the Community Charity Pharmacy Playbook, please visit https://charitypharmacy.org/playbook/,
CharityPharmacy.Org was established in 2013 by a group of volunteer pharmacists and leaders to represent the charity pharmacy model and its work. For more information, visit: www.charitypharmacy.org or call Jon Rosmann at 515.554.1048
SOURCE CharityPharmacy.org