ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Clark County Charitable Health Service (CCCHS) announced this week it received a $25,000 grant for the establishment of a pharmacy in CCCHS, thanks to support from the Wal-Mart Foundation. The pharmacy program seeks to meet the needs of medically uninsured adults in the CCCHS service area, which is approximately 5,000 potential people.

CCCHS utilizes a unique voucher system of healthcare delivery, allowing patient access to a variety of medical services. Although services are provided without charge, patients are treated as part of the volunteer medical professionals’ regular practice. Presently, CCCHS serves 132 individual clients.

The current delivery system of patients’ medications is problematic. Delays often occur in the distribution of patients’ prescriptions, and no pharmacist or nurse is available to advise the patient on how to properly take the medication. Therefore, the objectives of the pharmacy programare to: offer no-to-low cost medication; deliver medication in a timely manner; and provide a clean and safe environment as well as a centralized location for medication receipt and dispensing.

“This generous grant will allow us to help so many more CCCHS patients with prescription medications, as well as ease the burden on our local volunteer physicians” said Cindy Jackson, Volunteer Director for CCHS. “Our plan is to build the pharmacy in our new location, then open the pharmacy to our patients two nights a month. Narcotics are never dispensed by charitable health pharmacies, nor do we dispense to persons who are not our patients. But we will have almost all drugs which the volunteer physicians prescribe for our patients.”

Originating as a high priority goal of the Clark County Strategic Plan Healthcare Sub-Committee, the development of CCCHS occurred over a two-year timeframe beginning in April 2007. The initial funding sources included: Southern Bancorp Community Partners, the Alcoa Foundation, three area churches, one organization, and several private citizens.

For more information about CCCHS, please contact Cindy Jackson or any available volunteer at 870-230-1309. For eligibility forms, visit the office at 1301 North 10th Street in Arkadelphia. For more information about the Clark County Strategic Community Plan, please contact Brooke Gregory at 870.246.1050 or brooke.gregory@southernpartners.org.

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The Clark County Charitable Health Service (CCHS) is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization which exists to provide basic medical, dental, vision care, chiropractic care, counseling and physical therapy to low-income medically uninsured adults in Clark County, ages 20-64.

The Clark County Strategic Community Plan is a long-range visioning document created by approximately 500 residents of Clark County, Arkansas. The Plan seeks to encourage growth, diversity, and economic security for the cities in Clark County over a ten year period (2007-2017). www.clarkcountyplan.org  

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