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October 29, 2003Rx For Peace Of MindDrug clinic comes to aid of struggling senior citizensByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Five years ago Patricia Johnson and her husband Huse dreamed of retiring to Rapid City, buying a piece of property in the country and living out the remainder of their lives in comfortable seclusion. But the happy retirement they had planned and worked hard for all their lives was nearly shattered when Johnson was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome. An auto-immune disorder in which white blood cells attack moisture-producing glands, it soon began to affect many of Johnson's organs.
Thanks to a pilot program that provides free medications to qualified senior citizens in the Grand Traverse region, Johnson now receives eight of her 11 prescriptions free. Instead of $1,500 a month, she pays $200. "I'm just so thankful, so thankful that I learned about this program," said Johnson, 68. "I was desperate. I needed help. One thing I didn't want to do is use all the money so when I passed on, my husband didn't have anything to live on." As Americans live longer and prescription costs continue to rise, more and more senior citizens are being forced to choose between putting food on the table or buying the prescription drugs they need, say area health and aging agencies. And while buying trips to Canada and discount programs like the People's Choice Prescription Plan aim to ease their burden, they're not enough for many people. "A lot of people are on nine medications," said Cathy Manville, a pharmacy technician with the Community Pharmacy Program. "For them, coming up with $150 is like coming up with $1,000." Started in March with a $25,000 grant from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, the program has dispensed more than $162,000 in medications to 142 low-income older adults without prescription insurance coverage, said volunteer coordinator Pam Anderson. Many more people in the five-county region meet eligibility requirements, but don't know about the program, she said. And others think it's too good to be true. "We still find people are skeptical, (they feel) there's no such thing as a free lunch," she said. "But when they do come in they're thrilled. Some of them say, 'I wasn't taking my medication every day' or 'I couldn't afford it so I cut it in half.'" Operated by the Community Health Clinic in Traverse City, the program is a joint effort of the clinic and regional Commissions on Aging, Munson Medical Center's MEDs Program and The Area Agency on Aging. Staffed by Munson pharmacists, a pharmacy technician and volunteer nurses, it is able to provide free drugs by tapping into the patient assistance programs of some 40 major pharmaceutical companies, each with its own application process, said Manville, 43. About 400 of the most commonly prescribed drugs for chronic medical conditions currently are available through the program. While anyone can access pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, the complicated and time-consuming application process makes doing so unfeasible for most doctor's offices, who receive no reimbursement for their efforts, Manville said. The Community Pharmacy Program simplifies the procedure for clients by submitting applications for them and working with their physicians to facilitate necessary prescription changes. All clients do is provide their original prescriptions and proof of income and other documents. Johnson, whose drugs would have cost between $600 and $700 a month if she got them through Canada, said the program has literally saved her life. "If I hadn't gotten some help with my medicine I don't know what I would have done," she said. "It just means the difference between living and not living." Some seniors may be reluctant to participate in the program because they sense it will be difficult to gather the required financial information or because they are uncomfortable sharing that information, Johnson acknowledged. But she said the gain is far greater than the pain. "There's a lot of paperwork and some people might get discouraged, but in the end it's worth it," she said. "(The Commission on Aging) will go through it with you line for line." Like Johnson, 75-year-old Clara Crain receives Medicare and Social Security benefits but doesn't qualify for Medicaid. Because her 10 prescription medications drain most of her income, the Traverse City widow struggled for years, unable to fix her car when it broke down or to buy a book unless it was on sale. Now she can buy more groceries and gas, making it possible for her to get out more often for visits with her sister and children. "It's made my life easier, I'm not so afraid," said Crain, who has heart problems, high blood pressure and chronic bronchiolitis. "I have a different outlook: that I am worthwhile, that (people) care about me. I am so grateful. And I don't feel like I'm begging and crawling. I'm just so grateful." There are an estimated 6,000 uninsured people in Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Benzie Counties, said Dr. Carl Benner, who heads both the Community Health Clinic and the Community Pharmacy Program. "I think there's a perception in the community that we have this program called Medicaid and if you're poor you qualify," said Benner, 62. "The reality is that there are lots of working poor with two or more jobs and kids, and often only the children can get insured through Medicaid. "It's heartbreaking almost how many people at the clinic are as poor as church-mice, struggling, working, and they don't qualify for any assistance," he added. Benner said he expects the Community Pharmacy Program, which was based on a model at the First Presbyterian Church Health Clinic in Kalamazoo, to expand in the next year-and-a-half to include not just seniors but others without prescription insurance coverage. He said he will apply for federal grants for the program and also will seek funding from churches and other local groups. "We think this is a program that has a lot of local emotional appeal," he said. "Eventually we're going to be asking physicians, hospitals, home health agencies and pharmacies to participate."
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