Community Health Pharmacy is first of its kind in country

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(Host) Patients at five health centers around Vermont will now pay less for their medications.

Members of the state’s congressional delegation have announced the opening of Vermont’s first "Community Health Pharmacy" in Colchester.

Senator Bernie Sanders says the pharmacy takes advantage of federal law that allows it to buy products at low wholesale prices.

(Sanders) "It now means that tens and tens of thousands of Vermonters will be able to receive prescription drugs at the lowest prices available in the United. It will be a saving not only to the consumer in this case but also for the state of Vermont through savings in Medicaid. So it’s a really good step forward in helping low and moderate individuals, as well as the state of Vermont save money."

(Host) Officials said the drugs sold by the Community Pharmacy will cost the consumer about half of what conventional pharmacies charge.

Hunt Blair is with the Bi-State Primary Care Association, which represents community health centers. He said the new pharmacy gets the lowest wholesale prices available outside of the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense contracts.

Blair says the Vermont pharmacy will serve patients all over the state. Patients will receive their prescriptions by mail at home the next day.

(Blair) It’s actually the first of its kind in the country to bring together a group of health centers together to be able to buy the drugs collectively and to operate the pharmacy, to have the economies of scale of operating the pharmacy together.

(Host) The new pharmacy is a cooperative effort of five of the seven federally qualified health centers in Vermont.

 

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