People are helping people through Faith Pharmacy
in Lexington, Kentucky. While others are debating ways to provide or
not provide prescription drug coverage for the poor, people are receiving
free prescriptions every Saturday morning at Faith Pharmacy. More than
a hundred prescriptions are filled on a typical Saturday. It's people
like Clif Cason at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church and Pat DeLuca
at Christ the King Cathedral who are working with other church volunteers
and the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky and fifteen
pharmaceutical companies to serve underserved people. "Many of
them are older people with chronic illnesses," said DeLuca.
The concept of Faith Pharmacy evolved after a morning
mass at Christ the King when Dr. DeLuca and Dr. Patrick Schneider decided
to do something to provide drug products for those unable to pay. That
was in February of 1998. The next fall, Clif Cason, director of music
at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church, heard about the project and joined
the cause. DeLuca says, "From that time, momentum and enthusiasm
grew and spread." By the spring of 1999, Maxwell Street Presbyterian
had provided space in their mission building in downtown Lexington.
A firm in Mississippi designed and built the needed pharmacy fixtures.
Christ the King provided start-up funding. In the spring of 2000 the
Kentucky Board of Pharmacy granted a special pharmacy license to dispense
sample medications as prescribed by an appropriate health care provider
to persons not having the means to pay for their prescriptions. Following
the establishment of a limited formulary of drug products, mainly through
the generosity of pharmaceutical company representatives, the pharmacy
began operating in July, 2000, for three hours on Saturday mornings.
On September 13, 2000, a formal grand opening occurred. Local newspaper
and television coverage helped to spread the word and since then activity
has increased steadily.
Volunteer pharmacists and volunteers from Lexington
churches are there to greet and serve people every Saturday morning.
Whenever possible, patients are connected with long-term prescription
drug assistance programs offered by the State or pharmaceutical companies.
They are planning now to add another work station to meet the growing
demand.
Clif Cason said, "I think our story has great
potential to inspire people in other cities around the Synod to begin
their own programs to reach out and help people in their communities
who cannot afford their medications. It is also a statement of how important
it is that we work together with people from other faith denominations."
Clif Cason, director of music at Maxwell Street
Presbyterian Church, is co-chair of the advisory board of Faith Pharmacy.
Harold Embs, at left, comes to pick up medication
for a heart patient. At right, co-founder Pat DeLuca, is Professor at
the College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky.
