Medicine from the Heart Program expands

With the rising cost of living, many older adults are feeling the pinch. And whether they rely on medication to manage chronic conditions or temporary ailments, high medical costs often eat into senior’s budget.

At Hogan’s Pharmacy in Lillington, NC, owner and Pharmacist Stacie Hogan said it’s been hard to see some people struggle with the decision whether to buy medication or pay other bills.

She recently dispensed for a man who needed medicine to treat cancer. He heard the cost and tried to give the medicine back. This story could have had a heartbreaking ending, but in this instance there was happy one.

“We were able to tell him, ‘Well, we have this program, Medicine from the Heart, that can help you,’” she said. The program was able to cover his copay costs so he could receive the treatment that he needed. “It brought a lot of joy being able to help them,” Stacie said.

Medicine from the Heart is the Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation’s program that pays for prescription copays for older adults. The program has long taken place at two independent pharmacies in Wilson and Smithfield. In February, it kicked off at a third location at Hogan’s Pharmacy in Lillington.

The expansion was brought about through a partnership between the Foundation, Hogan’s Pharmacy and Memorial Baptist Church in Bouis Creek. All donations to the Medicine from the Heart program go directly to funding prescriptions for seniors in need. The church acts as the fiduciary, helping manage the payments, and the pharmacy identifies those in need and bills the fund for those prescriptions.

It's a wonderful partnership that the church is happy to be involved with and support.  

“We were very excited about being able to help people of this age bracket with some life-saving medicine,” Associate Pastor Meredith Craddick said.

In its first month in place, the program supported nine people with 35 prescriptions for a total of $492.12.

To donate to Medicine from the Heart, click here.

‍