Startzman clinic plays host to clinics, foundation, in special meeting
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Viola Startzman Free Clinic (VSFC) hosted a meeting of representatives from 16 other Ohio free clinics and the Heinz Family Foundation. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss strategies to more efficiently utilize the drug repository program.The program, made possible by Karon’s Law, which went into effect in April 2004, allows unused drugs from a licensed health care professional to be re-dispensed to Ohioans who are not able to pay for prescription medications. The law was enacted by State Sen. Kirk Schuring, making Ohio the first state to implement such a program. Since then, 35 other states have passed similar laws. While all 44 free clinics in Ohio have access to the program, each are at various stages of implementation. The VSFC was one of the first free clinics in Ohio to fully take advantage of the medications made available through this program. Because not all free clinics have the capacity to fully utilize the program, millions of dollars worth of medication goes to waste each year. John Moritz, executive director of the VSFC, said, “our goal is to make maximum use of the medications made available to us through the drug repository program.”
Participating in the meeting was Garry Beltz, who proposed Karon’s Law, and Scott Ponaman, a representative from the Heinz Family Foundation. The foundation plans to supply necessary equipment to make the distribution process more efficient. The meeting was the first of a series to help make the program more efficient. The next meeting will take place in Columbus at the Ohio Association of Free Clinics’ conference.