For the News-Tribune
CHARLESTON — The Rite Aid Foundation has awarded West Virginia Health Right a $15,000 grant to support the WVRx program, a free pharmaceutical program for uninsured West Virginians which local physician and Mineral County Commissioner Wayne Spiggle helped establish throughout the state.
“Being caring neighbors who are involved in our communities in meaningful ways is one of Rite Aid’s core values,” said Gayle Rife, manager of The Rite Aid Foundation.
“We are pleased to be able to join with West Virginia Health Right to improve the lives of our neighbors in West Virginia and work with them to help build stronger families and stronger communities.”
WVRx was created during the 2008 West Virginia legislative session and filled its first prescription in April, according to Brenda Dane, director of the WVRx program.
“There are 400,000 uninsured people in the state of West Virginia,” said Dane. “Out of those 400,000, about 225,000 are eligible for the WVRx program. There is no cap on the number we can serve.”
The primary goal of WVRx is to improve the health status of West Virginians by keeping patients connected to their medications, a major problem for the uninsured. Further, it will reduce the cost of health care overall for West Virginians.
A recent NIH (National Institutes of Health) study
see wvrx page 2
showed that if uninsured patients stayed connected to their medications, they went to the Emergency Room 40 percent less often and had fewer than 60 percent hospitalizations.
“Uninsured patients count for most of the charity care in hospitals,” said Dane. “In 2004 the cost of charity care in West Virginia was $178 million dollars. In 2006 it was $231 million dollars…a 75 percent increase!”
To be eligible for WVRx, a patient must live in West Virginia, be uninsured, and have an income at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
Patients can be enrolled by their health care provider, a community service agency, or can go online to obtain an enrollment packet.
Once patients are determined eligible and enroll, all they have to do is send their prescription to WVRx and it will be filled between 24-48 hours.
“Many drug companies already have Patient Assistance Programs which provide free medications to the uninsured,” said Dane. “The problem with that is that it often takes patients four to six weeks to receive their drugs. It also involves a lot of paperwork for physicians and their staff.
“WVRx is a ‘central fill’ pharmacy. We’ve negotiated with several drug companies, and are adding more all the time, to get drugs in bulk for the WVRx pharmacy which is housed in West Virginia Health Right.
“At this point our drugs are primarily for chronic diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, etc. And, we have become a clearinghouse for both patients and providers; that is, if we don’t have what you need we’ll find out who does and where you should go. We can also help with and speed up the Patient Assistance Process,” she said.
Besides the Rite Aid Foundation, WVRx partners include Governor Joe Manchin’s Pharmaceutical Advocate Office, Heinz Family Philanthropies, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, CVS, and the WV Attorney General’s Office. Current Pharmaceutical Partners include Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson, King Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis and Alcon.
For more information about WVRx, please call 1-304-414-5935, or e-mail WVRx at wvrxinfo@wvrx.org.
The WVRx website is: www.wvrx.org.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. —
