Western Tidewater Free Clinic recently received a certificate in recognition of the $2,183,709 in free prescription medication the organization’s pharmacy has provided to low-income, uninsured patients through participation with the statewide nonprofit Rx Partnership (RxP).

For nearly 10 years, RxP, a public/private partnership, has worked with free clinics and community health center partners around the state to increase access to free prescription medications for Virginia’s eligible uninsured.

WTFC received its certificate of recognition at the Rx Partnership’s annual affiliate roundtable at the Medical Society of Virginia in Richmond in July.

“Rx Partnership is pleased to recognize the outstanding success of Western Tidewater Free Clinic in providing critical medication to clinic patients who have no insurance and otherwise would be unable to afford the medication needed to treat their chronic and acute conditions,” said Amy Yarcich, Rx Partnership’s executive director.

“With the current uncertainty of the healthcare landscape, Virginia’s health safety net continues to offer support and stability for thousands of patients each year. Western Tidewater Free Clinic’s commitment to providing prescription medications means patients stay healthy, improve the quality of their lives and avoid costly emergency room visits.”

WTFC began participating as an RxP affiliate in 2011 and has seen significant benefits for its patients, officials said in a release announcing the award.

“Thanks to programs like RxP, our patients are often able to leave the clinic with their medication in hand,” WTFC Executive Director Miriam Beiler stated. “This is especially beneficial, since many of our patients have difficulty finding reliable transportation even to keep regular appointments.”

Patients now have access to a variety of free prescription medication. Prescriptions can be filled immediately, avoiding the two- to four-week wait common to patient assistance programs through the pharmaceutical industry.

Since opening its doors in 2007, WTFC has provided care to more than 3,500 individual patients through 74,400 on-site visits for medical, dental, women’s health, mental health and pharmacy consultation services.

RxP relies on the support of the Virginia General Assembly, a variety of foundations and corporations, as well as the provision of free medication by seven participating pharmaceutical manufacturers.

In WTFC’s service area, the financial support of Rx Partnership by Obici Healthcare Foundation and Sentara Health Foundation helps to make the coordination of free medication to the clinic possible.

Thanks to these partners, 157 medications treating a variety of chronic and acute conditions, including asthma, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, are available to Virginia’s eligible uninsured.

The retail value of medication distributed through RxP to all affiliates exceeds $101 million. More than 532,000 prescriptions for more than 59,500 unduplicated patients have been filled with RxP-provided medications.

For more information about Western Tidewater Free Clinic, visit www.wtfreeclinic.org or call 923-1060.