Grant Enables Pharmacy to Offer No-Cost Medication to Elderly in Need

Thanks to grant funding from McAuley Ministries, the Duquesne University Pharmacy is able to provide free medication to elderly patients in need as well as expand its community outreach programs in the Hill District community.

“This grant is extremely important for the Duquesne University Pharmacy because it allows us to provide access to medications to patients who may otherwise not be able to afford them and take necessary or life-sustaining medications as prescribed by their physician,” said Dr. Suzanne Higginbotham, director of the pharmacy and the Center for Pharmacy Care.

The grant for nearly $46,000 also allows the pharmacy to provide much needed medication therapy management—a clinical service through which the pharmacy manages the safety and effectiveness of medication regimens with a goal of improving health outcomes. The funding targets patients 50 and older in the Hill community who are affected by chronic diseases.

“We focus on providing medications used to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.,” explained Higginbotham. “In our patient population, diabetes and hypertension are most prevalent but we provide these services for a wide range of disease states and therapy management.”

The Duquesne University Pharmacy is the nation’s first non-profit, faculty-designed University-operated community pharmacy.

“The staff at the Duquesne University Pharmacy and I are extremely grateful that we were given this opportunity to serve our patients in a larger capacity through this funding,” added Higginbotham. “We are committed to helping our neighbors through a consistent community presence, and we work with the community in order to achieve our goals and live the University mission.”