News

AREA AGENCY WINS NAT’L AWARD

Saturday, September 5, 2009 8:59 PM CDT

SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL

The Prescription Assistance program of the Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas has received an Aging Achievement Award by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (N4A). This award honors innovative and successful programs serving older adults. The agency received this award at the N4A Annual Conference in Minneapolis July 21.

“I would like to thank everyone, for the support we have received in making this one of the most successful programs the agency has undertaken in recent years,” said Betty Bradshaw, the agency’s president and chief executive officer. “We are very proud to receive an Aging Achievement Award from N4A for the second consecutive year.”

The prescription assistance program provides help for the elderly, low-income, and the disabled with their prescriptions. The agency coordinates with drug companies to help sign people up for free or reduced price drugs.

The program also assists elderly with their medications when they fall through the “donut hole” while enrolled in a Medicare part D plan and when the plan changes the drugs that are covered after the enrollment period. Low income and Medicaid residents can also receive assistance through the program. There are no age limits or fees charged by the agency. The limits on who qualifies come from the drug companies. The drug companies also decide how much they will charge for the drugs.

Currently, most referrals come from doctors, not-for profits in the surrounding counties, and word-of-mouth. Doctors and not-for profits send referrals to the prescription assistance program so that individuals with no insurance can be signed up with these drug assistance programs.

Print this story   |   Email this story