Although this blog is primarily dedicated to relaying research findings, every now and then a story will capture my interest that I have to share.
This week, Publix (a major supermarket in the South and one I used to frequent when I lived in Athens, GA) announced that they will be offering a FREE prescription drug program at all of its 684 pharmacies for the 7 following antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), Ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR),
Penicillin VK, Ampicillin, and Erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab).
Anyone (that's right, anyone - no income or insurance requirements to be met) who has a prescription can receive up to 14 day's worth of the above antibiotics, which will be filled free of charge. Furthermore, Publix is not limiting the number of prescriptions customers may fill. So if you get a sinus infection every month for the rest of the year and need antibiotics each month, you can get your medicine for free each time. (Of course, if that's the case, I might recommend a new doctor.)
As a researcher who studies low-income families, I am thrilled that Publix has taken this step. There are so many documented cases of families choosing among rent, food, and medicine. In fact, next week a student and I will be presenting on unmet health care needs at a conference on rural women's health sponsored by the Office of Women's Health. One of our findings in this low-income group was that the women with acute needs (i.e., unexpected illness or injury) did not fill their prescriptions. There will be more to come on our research next week. For now, I'm excited about this trend of companies stepping up to help families meet their economic and health care challenges. And, if you live in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, or Tennessee, find the Publix nearest you and take advantage of this great opportunity.
This week, Publix (a major supermarket in the South and one I used to frequent when I lived in Athens, GA) announced that they will be offering a FREE prescription drug program at all of its 684 pharmacies for the 7 following antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), Ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR),
Penicillin VK, Ampicillin, and Erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab).
Anyone (that's right, anyone - no income or insurance requirements to be met) who has a prescription can receive up to 14 day's worth of the above antibiotics, which will be filled free of charge. Furthermore, Publix is not limiting the number of prescriptions customers may fill. So if you get a sinus infection every month for the rest of the year and need antibiotics each month, you can get your medicine for free each time. (Of course, if that's the case, I might recommend a new doctor.)
As a researcher who studies low-income families, I am thrilled that Publix has taken this step. There are so many documented cases of families choosing among rent, food, and medicine. In fact, next week a student and I will be presenting on unmet health care needs at a conference on rural women's health sponsored by the Office of Women's Health. One of our findings in this low-income group was that the women with acute needs (i.e., unexpected illness or injury) did not fill their prescriptions. There will be more to come on our research next week. For now, I'm excited about this trend of companies stepping up to help families meet their economic and health care challenges. And, if you live in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, or Tennessee, find the Publix nearest you and take advantage of this great opportunity.
1 comment:
This is a refreshing (and encouraging) bit of news!
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