Organization: Mount Desert Island Hospital – Bar Harbor, Maine.

Population Served: Per capita income of the served area: $31,178. 90% of the population live in rural areas. 11% live in poverty. 10.4% are disabled. 11.9% chronically ill. 23.8% aged 65+; 46.2% of elders live alone.

Project: Prescription Assistance Program Expansion.

Grant Type: Medication Adherence Grant.

Problem: According to MedHelp Maine, 30% of Mainers’ prescriptions do not get filled, and 50% of medications prescribed for chronically ill patients are not used as directed – doses are often skipped or split to save money. At the local level, Mount Desert Island Hospital (MDIH) is seeing a rising number of patients coming to their ED or Health Centers for avoidable medical issues that could have been prevented had they been taking their medications. With the 2018 closure of the last independent storefront pharmacy in Bar Harbor, MDIH now operates the only non-chain pharmacy on this part of the island.

Solution: With the Capture Cares grant support, MDIH will expand their current Prescription Assistance Program to all inpatients, outpatients, primary care patients, and ED visitors. This will also extend to community members in need who are currently not being seen at MDIH. Participants in the program will receive help utilizing/navigating the many different external programs that provide cost reduction, clarity, and advocacy. A full-time Pharmacy Technician will be appointed to serve as the designated Patient Assistance Coordinator. They will work with clients to find better and cost-effective access to their medications. The grant will also be used to purchase software and hardware to allow for best tracking and monitoring of the Prescription Assistance Program.

Capture Cares is committed to continuing with its efforts to enable the missions of covered entities.