St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy Provides $5M in Medication

The St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati, Ohio, announced last week that it surpassed $5.1 million dollars worth of medication dispensed to help people in need since it opened in September 2006 [1]. The Charitable Pharmacy is the only pharmacy in southwest Ohio that provides free, professional pharmaceutical care to people in need.

The Charitable Pharmacy was established in 2005 in partnership with the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati as a pilot project designed to provide free, professional pharmaceutical care to those unable to pay for discounted medication, those who don’t qualify for other programs, and those who simply need help navigating the options available for prescription medication. According to Liz Carter, Executive Director, Society of St. Vincent de Paul [1]:

There are more than 270,000 people in Greater Cincinnati without health insurance. One out of every 10 households locally has a family member who forgoes prescription medication in order to afford food, clothing or housing. We see individuals from every corner of our community who are suffering from illnesses but have no way to afford medication. Our pharmacy is a last resort for them.

The Charitable Pharmacy carefully screens people that need help, including the homeless, people who have lost their jobs, the working poor who cannot afford prescription insurance or pharmacy co-pays, and people that need temporary assistance as they try to get coverage, qualify for other assistance programs or reach a gap in Medicare coverage.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Cincinnati is a non-profit organization that works personally with those in need, regardless of race or creed, to bridge the spiritual, emotional and material gaps in their lives through home visits provided by neighborhood-based volunteer groups, as well as groundbreaking initiatives like the Charitable Pharmacy.

Almost all of the medication at the Charitable Pharmacy is donated by twenty private physician’s practices, Skilled Care, KeySource Medical, the Ohio Drug Repository Program, and drugmakers Astra Zeneca and Novartis.

In 2010, the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati anticipates providing more than 25,000 prescriptions valued at over $2 million dollars, and is is in need of financial donations, donations of sample medication form physician offices and pharmaceuticals from long-term care pharmacies. For more information, see http://www.SVDPcincinnati.org.