Rep. Joaquin Castro thanks the Health Science Center for promoting prescription assistance programs.
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The Health Science Center was pleased to host a unique event last week in support of prescription assistance plans. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) – a newly-launched prescription assistance program – brought the “Help is Here Express” bus to campus to raise awareness about numerous patient assistance programs that are available nationwide.

At a press conference, Sens. Leticia Van de Putte and Jeff Wentworth, and Reps. Joaquin Castro, Michael Villarreal and José Menendez expressed their support for quality health care and convenient access to these assistance programs. The PPA is a growing, national program designed to help patients access prescription medicines.

“I want to thank the PPA for coming to San Antonio and also thank the Health Science Center for hosting this,” said Rep. Castro. “This health science center has always been so actively involved in the community.”

Dr. Carlos Jaen, professor and chair of family and community medicine, spoke with several media outlets about the importance of programs that assist individuals who have problems paying for prescriptions.

Members of the both Health Science Center and San Antonio communities boarded the “Help is Here Express” that is equipped with computers and phones that help facilitate instant contact with the PPA and its programs. By using a computer database, individuals are matched to specific pharmaceutical companies based on their responses to specific questions. It is estimated that seven out of 10 individuals who inquire about the program qualify for some sort of prescription assistance.

More information about the program is available at www.pparx.org.