On June 6 at 7 pm the community is invited to the Newburyport Senior Center, located at 331 High Street, to hear from an expert on prescription drug assistance programs. Rich Sagall, MD, founder and president of NeedyMeds.org will share ways consumers can reduce prescription costs, and insights on how the drug industry and related legislation affect us. The free event was organized by Pennies for Poverty and the Justice Action Ministry at the First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist church.

 

More than half of Americans now regularly take a prescription medicine, according to Consumer Reports. And one in four people in the U.S. taking prescription drugs report difficulty affording their medication.  As the cost of prescription drugs continues to be a hot-button issue for consumer and policymakers:

  • What can consumers do to reduce their out-of-pocket costs?
  • How can they work with their physician or their pharmacist to get the most cost-effective treatment?
  • What legislation is on the horizon that may impact what the consumer will pay at the pharmacy counter?
  • How can consumers get assistance in paying for their prescriptions?

 

Rich Sagall received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. After completing his family practice residency at the Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME, he practiced family medicine and occupational medicine there for nearly 20 years. During that time, he established NeedyMeds.org. Rich has written articles on assistance programs and occupational medicine topics for a number of publications. He has given presentations on patient assistance programs and occupational medicine throughout the country. In addition to directing NeedyMeds, he runs the Pediatrics for Parents website (www.pedsforparents.com), a website on children’s health, and publishes Pediatrics for Parents.

 

About Pennies for Poverty

The mission of Pennies is to promote and carry out efforts to reduce poverty in Newburyport, MA and its environs through fundraising, encouraging volunteerism and community service, and educating and raising awareness about poverty. We accomplish this by:

  • Raising funds to address urgent needs at local anti-poverty agencies.
  • Increasing awareness and educating about poverty in Greater Newburyport.
  • Helping people in need find ways of getting help through our mobile-friendly, searchable, online Resources Directory.
  • Promoting volunteerism by advocating use of orgby local non-profits to publish their volunteer needs and publicizing its availability to the community.
  • Improving the quality of food provided to those in need by involving farms, fresh fish and natural food stores in our gift card program and distributing the majority of our gift cards during the growing season.
  • Publicizing food drives and other local anti-poverty activities.
  • Supporting local businesses by buying gift cards for donation to local anti-poverty organizations.

 

About the Justice Action Ministry

 

The Justice Action Ministry stimulates awareness and action on social justice issues within the First Religious Society and the local community, in collaboration with other FRS groups, local Newburyport social action groups, and the greater Unitarian Universalist Association.

 

For information, contact:

Amy Weickert, co-president

Pennies for Poverty

978-821-3415

 

Lea Pearson

Justice Action Ministry

614-353-7259