As unemployment in our state continues to hover above 9 percent, Washington doctors and clinics see more people each day who can’t afford the prescription medicines they need to make a difference in their health. From medicines that keep their hearts healthy to mental illness medicines that turn lives of uncertainty into lives of stability, new treatments are a growing part of effective treatment.
How can those who have lost medical coverage make sure they continue to receive care?
Imagine a new program to help low-income families receive the medicines that relieve their health conditions. Imagine a program that has provided millions of dollars each year, to help people in Washington state access innovative new treatments that make it possible to treat illnesses that just recently would have been considered severely limiting or debilitating.
Here in Washington, one such program is celebrating its sixth year of helping more than 50,000 people a year receive the assistance it provides.
In late 2004, Washington was a pilot state for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). Sponsored by groups in the state like the Washington Health Foundation and America’s pharmaceutical research companies, the program launched an effort to reach the thousands of people whose health would be improved by new innovations in prescription medicines.
The pilot project in our state was such a success, the program was launched nationwide. Since its debut in April of 2005, the PPA has helped more than 6.5 million Americans by connecting them to patient assistance programs. By providing a one-stop shop for nearly 500 programs covering thousands of medicines, people across Washington are able to find the help they need.
Patients seeking help with their medicines can call PPA’s toll-free number (1-888-4-PPA-NOW) to talk to a trained operator. Patients can also access the PPA
website. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to find out if someone may qualify for free or nearly free medications.
And now there is even more help available than ever before.
In partnership with the PPA and local clinics across the state, the Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation is using the tools provided to expand the help that is available. Since its launch in Spokane in November of 2008, the Foundation has helped patients access more than $3 million in assistance. In Spokane, Yakima Valley, Shelton and Seattle, patients can get help for the medicines they can’t afford and help to find doctors at a local clinic.
Prescription help in these communities is a quick call away. To find your local assistance expert visit
www.mtgmeds.org and set up an appointment.
While many in need of assistance have some form of medical care, many others don’t, and prescription assistance opens the door to checkups and other medical care that can help patients live healthy and productive lives.
As part of the five-year anniversary of PPA, new options have been added that help patients find exactly the right help.
“PPA 2.0” introduces new online resources that expand community partnerships and enhance PPA’s mobile and Internet presence to make it even easier to obtain information about PPA programs. In an effort to reach more people in more places, PPA is launching a new text hotline and smart phone application, in addition to the existing toll-free hotline and Web site. The PPA also provides information on more than 10,000 free health care clinics in America and has connected more than 300,000 patients with clinics and health care providers in their communities.
In Washington, we pride ourselves on taking care of those in need during tough times. Through the partnership between the Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation and America’s pharmaceutical research companies, hundreds of thousands across the state have already found that help. Many more, however, need assistance during this challenging economic period.
With PPA and Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation, there are more tools than ever to make sure they can continue to benefit from new treatments and have one less thing to worry about.
