VIM Alliance National Conference August 22, 2014
Volunteers in Medicine Mission - to understand and serve the health and wellness needs of the medically under-served and their households, who live or work on Hilton Head and Daufuskie Island Vision May we have eyes to see those rendered invisible and excluded, open arms and hearts to reach out and include them, healing hands to touch their lives with love and in the process, heal ourselves Values- Dignity, Competence, Care and Compassion
Pharmacy Logistics Non-dispensing Patients pay $20 annual pharmacy fee to offset cost of meds Staffed by volunteer pharmacists, pharmacy tech s, pharmacy interns Recent expansion allows improved storage, safer medication distribution
Dispensary of Hope Headquarters Pharmacy donation program, warehouse established in 2007 by Saint Thomas Health in Nashville Distributes donated meds from pharmaceutical companies, MD offices to F&C, FQHC, charitable pharmacies- $43 million(awp) annually
Win-win situation Pharmaceutical companies save millions in medication destruction costs and receive a tax write off Clinics save millions in medication costs VIM HHI realized 33% reduction in drug costs, 300% expansion of formulary Received $1,000,000 in meds in first 6 months of program( cost- $7500 annually)
Available Medications Virtually all diabetes medications except insulin 90% of hypertension medication 90% of pulmonary medications except albuterol inhalers As of June 30 th we have helped 2,004 patients fill 5,275 prescriptions
About DOH Dispensary of Hope is the nation s only fully-licensed, charitable, medication distributor that works across the entire spectrum of health care. Through innovative stewardship of the pharmaceutical supply-chain, the Dispensary of Hope distributes medications from manufacturers, distributors, and providers to charitable clinics and pharmacies serving the poor and uninsured. Medications are received from several sources, including manufacturers and distributors who donate short-dated and first-line product. In addition, the Dispensary of Hope operates its Fill the Box Fill the Need campaign by which physician practices donate their short-dated sample medications. Over 1200 practices across the US donate using our Fill the Box Fill the Need Hope Boxes. Combined, these organizations donate over $43 million (AWP) in medications each year. Medications are distributed domestically to over 80 access sites, which include federallyqualified health centers, free clinics, charitable pharmacies, outpatient pharmacies, and project access networks. All access sites are not-for-profit facilities, licensed to dispense medications. The typical recipients of medications are patients between the ages of 18 and 65, with income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and who are pharmaceutically uninsured.
History of DOH In 2003, Dr. Bruce Wolf an allergist in Nashville, TN - began the arduous task of trying to understand the ways in which sample medications are used and disposed. He discovered that over 30% of his sample medications went unused prior to expiration. Dr. Wolf spent the next three years working with the local medical community to donate their unused samples to free clinics and pharmacies. In 2007, having been inspired by the work of Dr. Wolf, a team from Saint Thomas Health drafted a business model that would aggregate medications from all over the country and distribute them to clinics and pharmacies serving the poor and uninsured throughout the United States and abroad. Through the development of a unique and fully licensed supply chain process, we ve been able to achieve the following milestones: Collected and distributed tens of millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals for those most in need, Built a network of over 1300 physicians who regularly donate medications to our programs, Created a state-wide and inter-regional network of dispensing sites, Constructed a mail-order pharmacy to provide direct patient access in partnership with major manufacturers, Built a proprietary software system to manage inventory, track patient access and ensure pharmaceutical pedigree, Established a Strategic Council comprised of local, regional and national participants, Delivered 20:1 return on investment to the community as well as alleviated significant bad debt levels for community hospitals. After inspiring and influencing the Dispensary of Hope its mission, progress, and strategic direction Dr. Bruce Wolf has gone on to found Hope Beyond Hope - a non-profit organization founded in 2009 and dedicated to finding innovative solutions to maximize health care delivery for the less fortunate in the United States and the world by minimizing and redirecting waste of usable medication in our society. As time continues, we look forward to extending the reach and impact the Dispensary of Hope makes in the lives and communities we serve as well as supporting the many other organizations committed to meeting the medication needs of poor and vulnerable individuals around the world.
Contact Information Business Office P.O. Box 281495 Nashville, TN 37228 Phone 888.428.HOPE Email info@dispensaryofhope.org