Caring Hands Health Clinics of McAlester, Okla., has initiated a new program to offer discount medications to patients in southeastern Oklahoma.
Caring Hands is working with Bensalem, Pa.-based SUNRx on a federal 340B project. The 340B program, created by the government to expand access to affordable medications, discounts medications up to 60 percent below retail prices through qualified community health centers and hospitals.
Many health centers have limited 340B programs – or none at all – due to the program's complexity. SUNRx helps health centers manage 340B programs.
"Our community has suffered terribly during the recent economic downturn," said Caring Hands CEO Bradley Stanton. "Unfortunately, many of our patients do not receive government benefits, and many of the drugs we prescribe are not covered by Medicaid."
Stanton said the new project would allow his organization to expand access to affordable medications throughout the economically distressed region.
"We were recently visited by a patient who had not been to a doctor in 40 years. In our area, stories like this are all too common," said Stanton. "Caring Hands Health Clinics can provide healthcare – including medications – at significant discounts or, in some cases, at no cost at all."
Caring Hands provides healthcare services to 9,000 patients each year in a rural area where more than half of all residents are uninsured. The health center's patients are not unlike those nationwide who struggle to afford medications.
In a recent study by the Kaiser Foundation, more than a quarter of Americans said they have not filled a prescription because of the expense, and nearly one in five said they cut pills in half or skipped doses in an attempt to save money.
Stanton said reducing the cost of medications is a priority because many Caring Hands patients are unable to fill prescriptions due to the expense.