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As the economy continues to slide, many Americans experience difficulty in accessing quality healthcare and prescription drugs. Many safety-net clinics serving America’s 90 million underinsured and uninsured patients have risen to the community’s need to provide access to free medical care. Unfortunately, the occasionally high cost of prescription drugs can make these products out of reach for the patients who need them most. Chronic disease states such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD, and depression, among others, require regular treatment with prescription drugs to keep patients healthy or to prevent progression to incurable diseases. Without access to many of these drugs, patients experience more emergency room and hospital visits and preventable complications and conditions.
Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center (CCFHCC) in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks to overcome these barriers to quality care through their relationship with the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy. Through this relationship, CCFHCC utilizes a clinical pharmacist, pharmacy residents, and a team of student pharmacists to assist their patients in obtaining affordable prescription drug products. Prior to the patient’s visit with the physician, each patient’s medications are reviewed to identify problems with safety, drug interactions, and effectiveness. This team of “drug experts” works collaboratively with CCFHCC physicians and staff to promote the use of generic medications, when appropriate, many for $4 per month. When generic drugs are not available or appropriate for an individual patient, the pharmacy team assists patient enrollment in manufacturer-sponsored prescription assistance programs, often resulting in free medications for the patient. Before they leave the clinic to take their prescription to a local pharmacy, patients are provided one-on-one education on the safe use of their newly prescribed medication and what actions to take if they have any problems.
One population of patients at CCFHCC benefitting from this unique involvement of pharmacists has been patients with diabetes. These patients are referred to the pharmacist for individualized diabetes education and management visits. Patients are provided with free glucose testing supplies and enrolled in programs to obtain free glucose testing strips, insulin, oral diabetes medicines and discounted insulin syringes. Patients are able to meet individually with the pharmacist on a regular basis to cover topics that include:
· Self-Monitored Blood Glucose Testing
· Glucometer Training
· Goals for Glycemic Control
· Management of Hyper- and Hypoglycemia
· Medication Adherence and Counseling
· Carbohydrate Counting
· Weight Loss
· Importance of Physical Activity
· Foot Care
· Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
· Insulin Injection Training
· Prevention of Microvascular Complications
· Prevention of Macrovascular Complications
· Stress Management and Coping
Following each visit, the pharmacy team communicates with the patient’s physician to alert them to any problems or needs that the patient may have.
The pharmacy services provided at Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center demonstrate one of the many ways that pharmacists are able to assist patients with not only obtaining medications, but education and improving care of chronic disease states.
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