Lynn health center receives prescription drug grant

LYNN – The Lynn Community Health Center was among 15 such facilities statewide to receive prescription drug assistance grants from the state attorney general’s office.The grants, totaling more than $1 million, were given to non-profit community health centers in an effort to provide wider access to prescription medications to those populations where private or public financial assistance is unavailable.The funding allows community health centers to provide free or significantly discounted prescription drugs or co-pay assistance to low-income and uninsured individuals. The grants stem from a series of multi-state settlements with pharmaceutical companies that authorized Attorney General Martha Coakley to direct the proceeds to benefit low-income, disabled or elderly consumers of prescription medications, according to Coakley spokeswoman Jill Butterworth.”The grant applications our office received shed light on the financial challenges faced by many who have been forced to choose between refilling their prescriptions and feeding their children,” said Coakley. “As prices continue to soar, drug co-payments are a challenge for many, especially those with chronic diseases like diabetes.”Coakley said the funding enables the those in need to gain access to pharmaceutical therapies that can prevent unnecessary and costly interventions and hospitalizations.The other health centers to receive grants were spread from Boston to the Berkshires and south to Cape Cod.The funds were awarded Feb. 9.