The Foundation for Community Health is a private foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of residents of the northern Litchfield Hills in Connecticut and the greater Harlem Valley in New York.
The Foundation’s Prescription Assistance Fund was established following the directives of several donor-advised funds wanting to assist people in our community who need help with their medical expenses. The specific purpose is to assist individuals and families to pay for their prescription costs and priority is given to those with the most significant needs. In order to qualify, applicants must be ineligible for Medicaid and their earnings have to be at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. The funding assistance is capped at $250 per month per person. Applicants in the Foundation’s Connecticut catchment area apply for assistance through their respective town social service departments. The Foundation makes these funds available for distribution through the Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments.
Approximately half of the enrollees are aged 55 and over. Analysis shows that the fund is used typically for chronic medical conditions with diagnoses such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, mental health, arthritis and pain management.
The following are personal accounts from current enrollees:
69 Year Old Female
“We moved here after taking care of my father who had a stroke. I was unable to work because I have health issues that make that impossible. I’m bi-polar. The medications for all of this are many and get very expensive. We had to borrow money through our home equity loan just to be able to pay for my medications. If it weren’t for the Foundation’s Prescription Assistance Fund, we would still be borrowing money to pay for the medicines that help me…My husband works, but he has no benefits and they don’t give him steady hours… He doesn’t get paid when he has to drive me to my medical appointments.”
71 Year Old Male
56 Year Old Female
“We have been married for 29 years and my husband has lived here since 1975. He had to retire at the age of 71 because of his health and I had to give up my job because I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. This assistance frees up money for other things -- things that are important but that we probably would not be able to afford…We now have a little extra money for some generic groceries. Before, we would consider not getting a prescription at all or we would cut the tablets in half to stretch them out…This help with prescriptions helps us to be able to get our medications and to have a little extra money for things such as heat even though we keep the temperature down to 60 degrees at night.”