Access to essential healthcare is an issue found almost anywhere in the world. For inpatient care, outpatient care or medication, affordability is a prominent obstacle. Whether it stems from a lack of resources or systemic issues, it can be life-threatening to those who are underprivileged.
Beacon Charitable Pharmacy is the only charitable pharmacy in Canton, Ohio, and one of the few organizations working to fight against the issue of healthcare accessibility in the Northeast Ohio region. Founded in 2002, Beacon has been serving Canton, Ohio by providing accessible medication to underinsured or uninsured individuals. Beacon has numerous branches across Northeast Ohio, all strive towards the same mission in their community.
“My mission at Beacon is to ensure that no one in our community goes without the medications they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives,” Executive Director of the Canton Branch, Dr. LaTrice Snodgrass said.
The organization has a vital team of people that allow them to serve Canton as they do. This team is not limited to employees of the pharmacy, it also includes all volunteers, donors and sponsors.
“Collaboration is key,” Snodgrass said. “The teamwork between our staff, volunteers, donors and community partners ensures that we can efficiently deliver services.”
All medication that is used to fill prescriptions or is available for purchase is entirely donated by community donors or organizational donors. Beacon is able to stay afloat by collaborating with the community.
Donations from the community and community volunteers are essential to running Beacon. Because Beacon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, they receive much of their products and occasional services from donations and volunteers.
The process of donation is an easy one. Donors can take their medication to the pharmacy where the certified pharmacist and pharmacists technicians sort, count, repackage and distribute the prescriptions.
To determine if a patient is qualified to receive medication from Beacon, there is a list of qualifications. Patients must have a current prescription from their physician, must be uninsured or underinsured, must live in Stark or Carroll County and must be at or below 250% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.
At Beacon, the focus is on the patients.
“We know about their health history and any mental stress outside that we can help with,” pharmacist Verna Pascal said. “The rush is not as great on filling their prescriptions as it is at a chain pharmacy, we do not bill insurance companies as a chain pharmacy needs to.”
Most notably, Beacon differs from chain and retail pharmacies due to their pricing. The pricing system for each individual patient is different. For completely uninsured patients, the prices are as follows. one medication is $2, two medications are $4 and three or more medications are $5. For underinsured patients, the list is as follows. One medication is $5, two medications are $10, three medications are $15, four medications are $20 and five or more medications are $25. These prices stay true no matter the initial price of the medication.
“There is no comparison with Beacon and chain pharmacies. In chain pharmacies or retail pharmacies the focus is on making money and generating profits for shareholders. At Beacon it is 100% patient-centric, asking each transaction, what does the patient need,” pharmacist Will Hubert said.
Because it is so patient-focused, it can be difficult to always provide patients with the exact things they need.
“The toughest part of being a part of Beacon is that we try to help everyone we can, but sometimes the need is greater than what we can provide,” executive assistant Kayla Freeman said.
Struggles such as this can come as a result of greater demand than there is supply, due to all medication being donated.
Nevertheless, Beacon is a true sign of hope for those who are uninsured or underinsured. Dr. Snodgrass and her team of employees, volunteers and donors are making Canton equal one step at a time.
If you have any unexpired medication that you are no longer taking, reach out to Beacon Charitable Pharmacy at (330) 445-1087 to find out how you can donate your unused medication. Monetary donations are also possible through this link CLICK HERE
