Free pharmacy has doled out $2M worth of medicines | Becker’s Hospital Review
In the two years since opening, a Georgia pharmacy that fills prescriptions for free has given out more than $2 million worth of medications, Fox affiliate WAGA-TV reported Feb. 2.
Chamblee, Ga.-based St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Pharmacy is the only one of its kind in the state. It carries medications for diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, mental health illnesses and chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, according to its website.
The pharmacy also assists undocumented, uninsured or underinsured people. Most of its customers are from metro Atlanta, but volunteers can pick up, deliver or ship medications within a 20-mile radius, according to the news outlet.
“People are having to make decisions — ‘Do I put food on the table or fill my prescription for blood pressure or insulin?’ — so we fill that gap,” Mike Mies, the pharmacy’s CEO and executive director, told WAGA-TV.
“Some of the people don’t know where to turn. When they come to our door, they don’t know what to do,” Ricks said.
Ricks runs the pharmacy at St. Vincent de Paul Georgia in DeKalb County. The non-profit has a long history of helping those in need all over the state.
