ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- During the month of August, Abbott and health advocacy groups are encouraging thousands of patients throughout Illinois to get help finding affordable access to prescription medicines through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance. The “Help Is Here Express,” a traveling enrollment center, will be making its way across the state the week of August 22 to raise awareness and boost enrollment in patient assistance programs in an effort to help some of the state’s 1.7 million uninsured get the medications they need.
The “Help Is Here Express” will be making the following stops: -- Peoria: Monday, August 22, 10 a.m. until noon, OSF Sister Community Healthcare, 320 E. Armstrong Ave; -- Rockford: Tuesday, August 23, 10 a.m. until noon, Longwood Plaza, 1055 E. State St; -- Waukegan: Wednesday, August 24, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Lake County Community Health Center, 12400 Belvedere Rd.; -- Chicago: -- Thursday, August 25 from 10 a.m. - noon - Duncan YMCA, 1001 W. Roosevelt Road -- Thursday, August 25 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Community Day Health Fair, 210 W. 87th Street.
“With the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and the ‘Help Is Here Express,’ we are bringing patient assistance programs directly to the people who need them most,” said Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
“We’re thrilled the ‘Help Is Here Express’ is coming to Illinois to generate greater public awareness about this important resource,” said Suzanne Andriukaitis, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) of Greater Chicago. “The Partnership for Prescription Assistance plays a critical role in helping uninsured patients afford their medicines and provides peace of mind in knowing that help is available.”
“Together, with the help of community leaders, other health care companies and health advocacy groups, we can help the patients in Illinois who need it have greater access to medicine,” said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. “I encourage anyone who is having trouble paying for their medicines to call the toll-free number and find out if you qualify for one of the hundreds of assistance programs offered by the Partnership for Prescription Assistance.”
To find out if they qualify, patients should call toll-free 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) to speak with a trained specialist or visit http://www.pparx.org . The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is the only program that provides a single point of access to more than 275 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. The “Help Is Here Express” is equipped with computer terminals and phones to make onsite enrollment easy for patients.
Since its launch in early April, the national program has helped more than 600,000 patients throughout the country.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance was brought about, in part, by the tremendous success of Rx for Illinois and programs like it in other states. Rx for Illinois, launched in November of 2004, matched more than 280,000 Illinois residents with programs providing free or discounted medicines. Illinois residents who call 1-877-RX-FOR-IL or visit http://www.RxforIllinois.org are now linked to the national Partnership for Prescription Assistance program with trained specialists who can provide application assistance in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages.
Rx for Illinois: a Partnership for Prescription Assistance is sponsored by a partnership of more than 30 leading Illinois health care and community organizations and America’s pharmaceutical companies.
Partners include: Abbott, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, American Cancer Society-Illinois Region, American Liver Foundation of Illinois, American Lung Association Serving Illinois, Arthritis Foundation of Greater Chicago, Black Nurses Associations-Chicago Chapter, Community Health Free Clinic, Community Nurse Health Association, Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, Epilepsy Foundation of Northern/Central Illinois, Epilepsy Resource Center, Illinois Free Clinic Association, Illinois Homecare Council, Illinois Pharmacists Association, Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Kidney Cancer Association, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society- Illinois Chapter, Lupus Foundation of Illinois, Mental Health Association in Illinois, NAMI of Greater Chicago, NAMI Illinois, National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, National Latina Health Network, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Illinois Chapter, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Sickle Cell Disease Association in Illinois, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, TAP Pharmaceutical Products, United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), Will-Grundy Medical Clinic and Y-ME Illinois Affiliate.
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 60,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
Abbott’s news releases and other information are available on the company’s Web site at http://www.abbott.com .
Abbott
CONTACT: Julie Ferguson of Abbott, +1-847-936-6116
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