The Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic (NNMFHC) expanded its pharmacy services in October by becoming the second Central Fill pharmacy serving Rx Partnership. By collaborating with Rx Partnership (RxP), a statewide nonprofit that supports free and charitable clinics, NNMFHC’s Central Fill pharmacy will increase access to medications in Virginia reaching more individuals in underserved areas.
NNMFHC’s first partner clinic, Ledwith-Lewis Free Clinic (LLFC) in Tappahannock, VA, provides medical services but does not have an in-house pharmacy. Ledwith-Lewis patients could struggle to fill prescriptions, but with pharmacy services now provided through NNMFHC about 100 prescriptions a month will be filled for Ledwith-Lewis’ patients. This is in addition to the 1,100 monthly prescriptions for NNMFHC’s own patient population, 270 of which are filled through RxP. Ledwith-Lewis Free Clinic is the first of what is anticipated to be many partner clinics benefiting from NNMFHC increasing its pharmacy capacity. Jean Nelson, CEO of NNMFCH, intends to serve two to three additional clinics in eastern Virginia by July of 2025.
Rx Partnership has pioneered access to medication for 20 years working with free and charitable clinics in Virginia, 16 clinics that have a pharmacy on-site, and 15 that do not. The clinics that do not rely on the assistance of a “Central Fill” pharmacy to dispense medications to treat chronic conditions. NNMFHC volunteered to serve as the newest RxP’s Central Fill.
After an onboarding process, NNMFHC started serving Ledwith-Lewis in October. LLFC tells NNMFHC what prescriptions they need, NNMFHC fills the prescriptions with medications secured by Rx Partnership, then packages them individually and ships them to Ledwith-Lewis.
“By offering this service, we can help eliminate a major hurdle for our partner clinics—access to affordable medications—by allowing clinics to focus more on providing high-quality, comprehensive healthcare to their communities,” said Jean Nelson, CEO of NNMFCH,. The new Central Fill is a result of NNMFHC’s commitment to providing support to other healthcare providers in the region, with the goal of improving patient experience and increasing access to medications. “We need to think bigger so that we can be a resource to other clinics,” she said.
“I am proud to be associated with these two fine clinics and happy to report that the transition to Central Fill is going smoothly thanks to the collaboration between the excellent staff of both clinics under the guidance of RxP,” said Dr. Vicki Kinsel, Board Chair of NNMFCH and Medical Director of Ledwith-Lewis Free Health Clinic. “I appreciate RxP's role in making medications available to the underserved in our Northern Neck, Middlesex and Essex communities and helping providers do our job!”
NNMFHC relies on paid and volunteer pharmacy professionals at the clinic and has hired new staff to meet the growing demand. New pharmacist Brittany Harding volunteered with the clinic in high school and now brings her experience working as a retail pharmacist. Harding joined NNMFHC’s pharmacy team to help patients who might otherwise have to choose between prescriptions and groceries.
“Rx Partnership’s collaborative model relies on clinics like NNMFHC to help fill critical gaps in care,” said Amy Yarcich, Executive Director of Rx Partnership. “We are grateful for their commitment to medication access – the new Central Fill will provide essential services to patients who otherwise would struggle to afford medication, increasing the health and well-being of so many in our Commonwealth.”
Rx Partnership and Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic work together to improve medication access, so that patients can improve their chronic disease management, reduce healthcare costs with fewer ER and hospital visits, and live healthier. Both organizations welcome individual donations and local community partners dedicated to improving medication access for vulnerable people in our communities.
About Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic
NNMFHC is in its 31st year of providing the highest level of care to those who ordinarily lack access to it. Close to 20,000 individuals have used the Clinic as their health-care home over the years. The need for care continues to grow and new patients are enrolling daily. This year alone, 737 new patients have enrolled to date. The Clinic Pharmacy prescription total now exceeds 665,000.
NNMFHC services include a Medical Clinic, Dental Clinic, Pharmacy, Behavioral Health program, and Outreach Clinics in Middlesex and Westmoreland counties. For more information, visit www.nnmfhc.org.
About Rx Partnership
During Rx Partnership’s 20-year history, the Richmond-based 501(c)3 nonprofit increased medication access for over 83,000 vulnerable Virginians by helping to fill over 1 million prescriptions – valued at more than $285 million – for uninsured patients receiving care at the 31 participating partner clinics around Virginia.
While access to care has improved since Rx Partnership’s founding with less people uninsured in Virginia, the rising costs of medication mean that RxP’s services are needed now more than ever. For more information about Rx Partnership, to make a donation, or to download copies of the Rx Partnership Profile and Impact Report, please visit www.RxPartnership.org.
Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic Contact:
Olivia Brocklebank, Communications Manager
Rx Partnership Contact:
Mary Beth Moody, Development Manager
(703) 472-2644 (cell)