North Coast Health Ministry has partnered with Discount Drug Mart as the exclusive provider of prescription medications for NCHM patients.  Through the arrangement, patients can purchase medications prescribed by a North Coast Health Ministry physician through a co-payment at any Discount Drug Mart store. 

While NCHM works with its patients to enroll them in prescription assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers through which they can receive free or low-cost medications, there are many drugs not included in the manufacturers’ programs.  Often, even for drugs included in the programs, there is a waiting period of a month before a patient can begin receiving free or low-cost medications.  The partnership with Discount Drug Mart will allow patients with an NCHM identification card to access their prescriptions through a $25 co-pay for generic medications or a $50 co-pay for brand-name medications.   If the cost of the prescription is lower than the co-pay, the patient pays the lesser amount.

“It’s no secret that the high cost of some prescription medications makes them unaffordable for low-income individuals,” says NCHM Executive Director Lee Elmore.  “Our partnership with Discount Drug Mart allows our patients to access their prescription medications at reasonable co-pay levels.  Eighty-percent of our patients have chronic medical conditions, and going without prescription medication is not a safe option for them.  Our arrangement with Discount Drug Mart helps us manage our agency’s medication expense and enables us to continue to assist our patients with access to the medications they so critically need.”