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Meeting the needs of those in the community
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Published: October 31, 2009
Since 1986, Crisis Control Ministry has operated a licensed free pharmacy, the first in North Carolina. As is the norm for our ministry, we create programs and services based on the needs of those who live in our community. Unfortunately, it was and still is the case that individuals and families find themselves having to choose between purchasing doctor-prescribed medications and buying groceries. In 23 years, our pharmacy has grown from a closet-sized space into a building of its own, with three full-time staff members and over 50 volunteers. Last year alone, the pharmacy staff filled 26,495 prescriptions for more than 1,700 individuals. This medication was valued at $2.5 million, but only cost the ministry $226,000.
In Forsyth County, there are approximately 48,000 people (ages 18-64) who are uninsured, and that number is rising because of those who are losing health-insurance benefits (including prescription coverage) with job layoffs. Based on a study from the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, approximately 40 percent of uninsured people in the South are prescribed medication for various health conditions. Applying that percentage locally, it means that about 19,200 uninsured people in Forsyth County need prescription medication. Crisis Control Ministry Free Pharmacy currently provides prescription medicine to 1,700 people, or 9 percent of those who need it. Our goal over the next three years is to reach 25 percent of those who need prescription assistance, or 4,800 people. (We also have expanded pharmacy services to Stokes County.)
A new statewide Central Fill Pharmacy Program is designed to help communities across North Carolina obtain free medication for uninsured residents. Locally, CCM's pharmacy is its own central fill pharmacy, providing these services now for 23 years.
At Crisis Control Ministry, each person who comes in for assistance is interviewed by a volunteer who reviews and verifies their information to determine how we can assist them and whether other community resources are available to them. In the pharmacy, our criterion is simple. If you are uninsured and cannot afford your physician-prescribed medication for either an acute or chronic medical condition, we can provide your medication (with a few exceptions for controlled substances).
Because so much of our medication stock is donated from local nursing-home pharmacies and some local physicians, we are usually able to put the medication in the patient's hands the day of his or her interview. If we have to purchase the medication, it is delivered and ready for pickup the next business day.
For those who have chronic medical conditions, most find themselves financially eligible to receive medications directly from pharmaceutical manufacturers who send the medicine directly to our pharmacy. In addition, following the extensive interview with CCM staff, the patient, whether he or she is financially eligible for free medication from the manufacturer, may choose to purchase medication from a local pharmacy (some cost as little as $4/prescription), rather than completing unnecessary paperwork.
It is a question we ask each person who comes to CCM: "What do you have to contribute toward resolving your crisis or present situation?" The question itself adds dignity to the process of giving and receiving help. Most of the people with whom we work wish they didn't have to ask for help and are more than pleased to contribute when they are able.
Crisis Control Ministry's pharmacy has been the solution for thousands of Forsyth and Stokes county residents. I am pleased that for 23 years, the pharmacy has maintained and enhanced its efficient operation based on the needs of those without resources in our community. Located in downtown Winston-Salem, patients have easy access to the ministry.
We feel sometimes that we are the best-kept secret in town. We are working to better inform the residents of Forsyth and Stokes County about the services we provide. Together we can be a healthier community.
Margaret Elliott is the executive director of Crisis Control Ministry. The Journal welcomes original submissions for North Carolina Voices on local, regional and statewide topics. Essay length should not exceed 750 words. The writer should have some authority for writing about his or her subject. Our e-mail address is: Letters@wsjournal.com. You may also mail a typed essay to: Letters to the Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Please include your name and address and a daytime telephone number.
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