| Don’t miss the 'Help is Here' bus |
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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
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Posted: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 2:12 pm
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Deborah Cheek found out today she qualifies for help from pharmaceutical companies to pay for three of her seven daily medications.
“The three that I get were the most expensive ones,” she said, adding some days she has to debate between buying food and buying her medications.
She said she pays more than $150 a month for her medications and getting up to three free or discounted helps her budget a lot.
“This is a wonderful help, absolutely wonderful,” she continued. “It takes stress off of me.”
Cheek’s situation isn’t at all odd, which is why the “Help Is Here Express” bus tour stopped at the Rutherford County Family YMCA to help uninsured and financially struggling Tennesseans access information on programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free.
Preet Bajwa, spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the bus has helped more than 247,000 Tennesseans just like Cheek. Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA bus tour has visited all 50 states and more than 2,500 cities to raise awareness about patient assistance programs.
Trained specialists on the bus help uninsured or underinsured patients access information on more than 475 patient assistance programs, including nearly 200 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.
“Once we figure out what medications they are on and what they qualify for, we can help,” she said. “And within two to three weeks they’ll get their medications for free or nearly free.”
When the “Help Is Here Express” moves on, patients can visit PPA’s easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or call the toll-free phone number (1-888-4PPA-NOW), where trained operators field calls in 150 languages, Bajwa said.
“People are having a difficult time right now,” she said. “ Everyone gets in these situations, that’s what this is here for.”
In addition to stopping in Murfreesboro on April 1, the “Help Is Here Express” has already stopped in Cookeville and Mt. Juliet and will continue on to Linden and Jackson as part of this week’s tour of Tennessee.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com. |
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