Prescription bus brings discounts to area

By Melissa Dunson

JOPLIN, Mo. — Some area residents have to choose between paying for prescription medications and food, said Doris Carson, director of patient care services for the Community Clinic of Joplin.

Carson said she talks with residents who cannot afford a $4 co-pay for a generic drug. Many brand-name drugs are out of reach for low-income families, she said.

“Many have to choose between food and medicine, and in that situation, they choose food,” Carson said. “Then they risk their own health and all the other complications that come along with not taking their medicine.”

The result, Carson said, often is a trip to the emergency room and an even bigger bill for people who already are struggling with health care.

But some help rolled into Joplin and Carthage recently.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance’s “Help Is Here Express” bus was at Joplin Memorial Hall and the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage to help people sign up for and to answer questions about discounted medications.

The bus functions as a one-stop shop for 475 discount programs available through drug manufacturers, state and local agencies, and private sources. More than 40 of the programs focus on children. The database contains more than 2,500 generic and brand-name medications.

The program and the bus tour were created by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a pharmaceutical industry group. The bus provides computers with Internet access and trained staff to discuss program qualifications.

Two Partnership for Prescription Assistance buses have been touring all 50 states for the past two years, visiting more than 1,500 cities. Monday was the first time such a bus has been to the Joplin area.

Telly Lovelace, senior communications manager for the partnership, said the program helps seniors, people without insurance, low-income workers, the unemployed, students and those with insurance but no drug coverage. The program has helped nearly 4 million Americans get free or nearly free prescription drugs, according to Lovelace, who said about 95 percent of those who apply end up qualifying for some discounts.

“The industry understood we needed to create a simplified, single point of access system,” Lovelace said. “If people are having problems paying for their medications, we might be able to help.”

Melissa Dunson writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.