MedAssist helps those who need it most

Prescription medication may be essential to your well-being. If you have type 2 diabetes, you must take your insulin. If you have asthma, you need your inhaler. The expense of those essential prescriptions can take a chunk out of your budget, even if you have insurance.

But some people have to choose between their prescriptions and food or other essential daily needs.

That’s where the MedAssist program steps in. Run by the Medical Foundation of Marion & Polk Counties, MedAssist supports people in maintaining their health and in preventing a worsening of their condition.

Dean Larsen, executive director of the Marion-Polk County Medical Society, notes that the MedAssist program focuses primarily on providing long-term medications. “This helps people stay on their meds and stay productive in society. That means they are not in the emergency department, and it may prevent their condition from getting worse,” says Larsen.

Before MedAssist, physicians’ offices would help patients get enrolled in programs that helped provide prescriptions. “The physicians just couldn’t keep up with it all,” says Shirley Sproule, director of MedAssist.

“MedAssist is marvelous because it helps both the physician and the patient. It takes the paperwork load away from the physician and provides prescriptions to patients who can’t afford them,” says Sproule.

“We have slightly more than 1,100 people enrolled in the program, with an average need for 3.7 prescriptions each,” says Larsen. “The annual retail value of those prescriptions is about $3.9 million.”

The program runs entirely on grants and donations. Salem Hospital provides the space, phone lines, and furnishings at no charge. Last year the Salem Hospital Foundation granted $10,000 to MedAssist.

Learn more
If you would like to apply for MedAssist, call:
Salem and Dallas area office: (503) 561-6043
Stayton area office: 503-769-3548
For donation information, call 503-362-9669.