AstraZeneca to Provide Free Medicines to Illinois' Largest Free Clinic

WILMINGTON, Del. AstraZeneca announced that CommunityHealth in Chicago, Illinois has enrolled in the pharmaceutical giant?s newest prescription savings program, which provides medicines free of charge to community healthcare facilities.

The AZ&Me Prescription Savings program for healthcare facilities is available to non-profit organizations that have a licensed outpatient pharmacy or dispensary on site and meet other program criteria. Patients are eligible for AstraZeneca medicines through this program if they do not have prescription drug coverage and have a household income at or below $30,000 for an individual, or $60,000 for a family of four.

"There are 1.3 million uninsured in Chicago and the surrounding area. MedAccess Chicago is designed to help address that problem by putting prescription medications within reach of those who desperately need but cannot afford them," said Judith Haasis, executive director of CommunityHealth. "With partners like AstraZeneca, we are able to better serve those patients who are falling through the cracks."

CommunityHealth, the largest free clinic in Illinois and one of the largest in the United States, recently announced the opening of MedAccess Chicago, a licensed pharmacy housed at the health center that will make free prescription medications available to uninsured patients throughout the city.

Through the AZ&Me Prescription Savings program for healthcare facilities, AstraZeneca is planning to provide free medicines to approximately 250 facilities by the end of 2008.