..... Courier Journal Article

Published on: 7/10/2002   A $15,000 grant announced last week will provide a real shot in the arm for the ministries to meet that growing need, said Roxanna Trivitt, the agency's executive director. ... With the rising cost of prescriptions, people on limited incomes are finding it more difficult to pay for medications their doctors prescribe, Trivitt said. "We are seeing more and more people for the first time -- especially seniors," she said. Trivitt said that $50 was the average cost of a prescription that her agency was asked to help cover two years ago. Now the average is $100, she said. Incomes have not increased accordingly, she said, and this has forced some people to make tough choices on how to spend their money. Last year, Trivitt said, the ministries served more than 500 people with immediate prescription needs and more than 150 with long-term needs. "This donation means that we can be a Good Samaritan to 50 more people than we were last year," she said of the Fifth Third grant. Until now, money for the agency's prescription program has come from Caritas Health Services and from other fundraising by the ministries, Trivitt said. The increased need prompted the ministries to apply for the grant from Fifth Third, she said. One goal of the program is to offer prescription assistance to low-income residents who have been released from a hospital and cannot afford the necessary medication to complete the healing process, Trivitt said. ... Residents of the 40216 ZIP code whose incomes are within the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for the assistance, Trivitt said. Prescriptions will be filled at Winn Dixie on Crums Lane at Cane Run Road. The store gives the program a discount, she said. Appointments to request prescription assistance are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the office of the Shively Area Ministries, 1867 Farnsley Road. Eligible residents should call the ministries at 447-4330 for an appointment.