Published: August 29, 2008 05:12 pm      

The right of Health Right — Pharmacy threat must be protested

For the past 18 years Mercer Health Right has provided free primary care and medications to the uninsured low income people in Southern WV. The patients sent to Mercer Health Right are often extremely ill and desperate for medical care. For most, there is at least one working member in their household making mininmum wage with no access to health insurance.

Free clinics are the voice of thousands of patients who are now at risk with their health care status in serious jeopardy. Across our great country, many politicians and organizations are discussing ways to help the uninsured, reduce hospital cost shifts, and provide quality accessible health care to our growing number of uninsured working poor.

In West Virginia, the new Board of Pharmacy rules are proposing the exact opposite.

The Board’s definition of charitable clinic pharmacy is very broad and includes any non-profit dispensing medication free of charge. The Board has written proposed rules that would require every “charitable clinic pharmacy” in WV to have a pharmacist on site or stop providing free medications to patients who would otherwise go without life-sustaining pharmaceuticals.

The Board’s rules even prohibit doctors, dentists, and other clinicians from dispensing medications to patients if they are working at a charitable clinic. These rules need to be changed.

Our community counts itself extremely lucky to have a free clinic providing these services. Now the very heart of this program is being challenged — free medications for patients.

There are too many patients whose health situation would be dramatically affected by this loss of the programs, including myself.

I am at risk for a stroke to severe migraines. If it weren’t for these clinics, I would have to go without my medications and therefore risk the chance of leaving my two young children behind.

The human toll this bill exacts is enormous.

Also, there is the cost shift to our not-for-profit hospitals, Emergency Departments, and unit care. These are not optional treatment centers for routine chronic illnesses and result in much poorer overall health for the patient.

Our community already provides a significant amount to the clinics operations and would find it an almost impossible task to provide either volunteer pharmacists or the funding in the new rules.

Please, I urge you and your families and friends to go to your local clinic to sign the petition ASAP to help stop this non-sense. If you can’t find the form at your local clinic, Bluewell Family Clinic in Bluewell, WV has them.

We all know someone that benefits from these clinics so let’s NOT let the Board take away the only help the uninsured people in our area, our neighbors, taken away from us.

You may also write a letter to the Board at the address below. Please be sure to include the date, your name, address and signature on your letter.

Tell them you are against Senate Bill 722.

The address:

WV Board of Pharmacy

232 Capital Street

Charleston, WV 25301

(304) 558-0558

May God bless you and yours!

Janet L. Knuckles

Princeton, WV