Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic Expands Pharmacy Capacity for the Uninsured with Rx Partnership
Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic Expands Pharmacy Capacity for the Uninsured with Rx Partnership
The Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic (NNMFHC) expanded its pharmacy services in October by becoming the second Central Fill pharmacy serving Rx Partnership’s Access to Medication Program. By collaborating with Rx Partnership (RxP), NNMFHC’s Central Fill pharmacy will increase access to medications throughout the state, reaching more individuals in underserved areas.
NNMFHC’s first partner clinic, Ledwith-Lewis Free Clinic (LLFC) in Tappahannock, VA, provides a variety of medical services, but does not have an in-house pharmacy. Ledwith-Lewis patients could struggle to fill prescriptions due to transportation barriers but with pharmacy services now provided through NNMFHC, an average of 100 prescriptions a month will be filled for Ledwith-Lewis’ patients. This is in addition to the 1,100 monthly prescriptions filled for NNMFHC’s own patient population, 270 of which are filled through RxP. Ledwith-Lewis Free Clinic is the first of what is anticipated to be many partner clinics benefiting from NNMFHC increasing its pharmacy capacity. Jean Nelson, CEO of NNMFCH, intends to serve two to three additional partner clinics in eastern Virginia by July of 2025.
Rx Partnership has pioneered access to medication for over 20 years working with free and charitable clinics throughout the state, 16 clinics that have a pharmacy on-site, and 15 that do not. The clinics that do not have an on-site pharmacy rely on the assistance of a “Central Fill” pharmacy to dispense medications to treat chronic conditions. NNMFHC volunteered to serve as the newest RxP’s Central Fill.
After an onboarding process, NNMFHC started serving Ledwith-Lewis in October. LLFC tells NNMFHC what prescriptions they need, NNMFHC fills the prescriptions with medications secured by Rx Partnership, then packages them individually and ships them to Ledwith-Lewis.
“By offering this service, we can help eliminate a major hurdle to care for our partner clinics—access to affordable medications—by allowing clinics to focus more on providing high-quality, comprehensive healthcare to their communities,” said Jean Nelson. The new Central Fill is a result of NNMFHC’s commitment to providing support to other healthcare providers in the region, with the goal of improving patient experience and increasing access to medications. “We need to think bigger so that we can be a resource to other clinics,” she said.
“I am proud to be associated with these two fine clinics and happy to report that the transition to Central Fill by the NNMFHC to Ledwith-Lewis is going smoothly thanks to the collaboration between the excellent staff of both clinics under the guidance of RxP,” said Dr. Vicki Kinsel, Board Chair of NNMFCH and Medical Director of Ledwith-Lewis Free Health Clinic. “I appreciate RxP’s role in making medications available to the underserved in our Northern Neck, Middlesex and Essex communities and helping providers do our job!”
NNMFHC relies on paid and volunteer pharmacy professionals at the clinic and has hired new staff to meet the growing demand. New pharmacist Brittany Harding volunteered with the clinic in high school and now brings her experience working as a retail pharmacist. Brittany joined Northern Neck’s pharmacy team to help patients who might otherwise have to choose between prescriptions and groceries.
“Rx Partnership’s collaborative model relies on clinics like NNMFHC to help fill critical gaps in care,” said Amy Yarcich, Executive Director of Rx Partnership. “We are grateful for their commitment to medication access – the new Central Fill will provide essential services to patients who otherwise would struggle to afford medication, increasing the health and well-being of so many in our Commonwealth.”
Rx Partnership and Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic work together to improve medication access, so that patients can improve their chronic disease management, reduce healthcare costs with fewer ER and hospital visits, and live healthier lives. Both organizations welcome individual donations and local community partners who are dedicated to improving medication access for the most vulnerable people in our communities.
