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Agency helps provide pricey prescription drugs to those in need

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By Anthony Gottschlich, Staff Writer 7:44 PM Thursday, November 26, 2009

DAYTON — Some charities give away turkeys, others toys for tots and some clothing and shelter for the homeless.

But one local agency is trying to serve a lesser publicized need that is also in high demand during the holidays — prescription drugs.

“We’ve been busier, getting a lot of phone calls from people,” said Angela Dugger, who manages the prescription drug assistance program at Unified Health Solutions, a social service agency housed at The Job Center, 1133 Edwin C. Moses Blvd.

The need is particularly great for antidepressants, given the time of year and the sour economy, Dugger said. Such drugs, even generics, can cost $50 a month, she noted. Costly blood pressure medications are also popular, she said.

Dugger said Unified Health’s prescription program serves 1,000 to 1,500 people a year, spending about $100,000 on an average of 3,600 prescriptions annually. It targets low- or no-income and/or medically indigent adults and children who live in Montgomery, Preble and Greene counties and who don’t have prescription coverage of any type.

Dugger said Unified Health provides emergency, short-term and even long-term prescription assistance or solutions to those who qualify, including linking people to assistance programs offered by major pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.

“The message I want to get out to people is we’re here, and we’re here to help,” Dugger said.

Funding comes from the Montgomery County Human Services Levy, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area and Kettering Health Network.

“We think it’s a really well-run program,” said Jayne Klose, the United Way’s vice president for marketing and resource development. “What makes it more telling is the United Way’s (fundraising) campaign last year, from 2007 to 2008, was down 24 percent and most programs were cut that level. But there were a few programs we felt were so vital we held them whole and this was one of them.”

For more information, contact Unified Health Solutions at 220-6600 or visit uhs-dayton.org.

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This is the same agency that the DDN reported having the Buckeye Bash Bust. Very little of the grant money UHS receives is for Pres Assist the majority of the funds received is for before/after school & pregnant/parenting teens prog. Why did DDN choose to report only on the Pres Assist? Why not report on an agency that receives tax $ for prevention & intervention programs & is doing a fund raisers that the only monies raised is from alcohol sales? Is this how our tax money is being spent?"

Concerned Citizen
12:05 AM, 11/28/2009

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