OGDEN --- Midtown Community Health Center will be able to expand its pharmacy hours with a $20,000 grant awarded from The Regence Foundation.
The health center was chosen out of 35 other nominees in the state to receive the award, which was presented today during a special ceremony. Executive director Lisa Nichols said now patients will have more accessibility to the medications they are prescribed.
"A lot of our patients can't use our pharmacy and low-cost prescriptions because we are only open weekdays," Nichols said. "This award will allow us to improve access by adding Saturday hours and to track medication refills so we can follow up with patients who aren't getting their medications."
The pharmacy will be open on Saturdays beginning in June, Nichols said.
Last year, approximately 10 percent of prescriptions written for patients at Midtown went unfilled because of financial, language, medical literacy, insurance status and transportation barriers.
"Patients, especially those with chronic diseases who don't take their medications as prescribed, risk aggravating their health conditions and increasing their health care costs long term," said Stacey Walton, a Regence employee who nominated Midtown for the grant. "With The Regence Foundation Transformation grant, Midtown will be able to help people get access to the care they need and fill a critical gap in our community."
Midtown serves more than 26,000 patients each year who are facing economic, geographic and cultural and language barriers to health care access. Nichols said last year nearly 37,000 prescriptions were filled at Midtown's on-site pharmacy.
"Our mission is to fund collaborative and innovative health programs making a positive impact on the community," said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation board chair. "We applaud Midtown Community Health Center for its work to improve access to care for underserved communities in the Ogden area."
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