Deadline Approaching For Grants To Help Link Seniors And Low-Income Missourians With Free Or Low-Cost Drugs

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March 11, 2008 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — Organizations wanting to link Missouri seniors and low-income residents with programs that offer free or low-cost prescription drugs have until March 21 to apply for technology grants from the office of Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon. Last month, Nixon announced that his office would make available $630,000 to help coordinate the prescription drug needs of hundreds of thousands of Missourians with nearly 200 free and reduced-cost drug programs offered by manufacturers. The grant money comes from a settlement Nixon reached on Feb. 14 with Caremark Rx LLC.

“The deadline to apply for these grants is quickly approaching, and I encourage any interested organizations to apply,” Nixon said. “These grants can help agencies provide an information gateway for Missouri’s uninsured and those who qualify for some insurance, but still have nearly an impossible time affording the prescription medicines they need.”

Nixon said the grants would enable organizations that work with seniors and low-income residents to purchase one- or two-year licenses to use already available software, which coordinates linking prescription drug patients with matching free or low-cost drug programs from manufacturers. They then would be able to quickly search drug manufacturers’ free and reduced-cost programs to find matches for patients’ needs. The grants also can be used to obtain any needed hardware or training.

Any organization that wants to apply for grants from Nixon’s Prescription Drug Access Technology Initiative should do so through the Attorney General’s Web site, ago.mo.gov, or should obtain a hard copy of the application by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222. Applications must be submitted no later than March 21, 2008.

Source: Missouri Attorney General