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2011 SESSION

11104192D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 773
Offered January 31, 2011
Commending Virginia's Rx Partnership and its partners.
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Patron-- Jones and Abbott
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WHEREAS, Virginia’s Rx Partnership and its partners are recognized for their outstanding service to the Commonwealth and their innovative and successful provision of free medications for Virginia’s uninsured citizens including the recently achieved milestone of more than $50 million in retail value of medication provided since the program’s inception; and

WHEREAS, more than one million Virginians are uninsured and have little or no access to health care, and these citizens have no access to prescription medications; and

WHEREAS, the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Commission on Health Care helped initiate Rx Partnership in 2003 as a public-private partnership to increase access to prescription medications for Virginia’s eligible uninsured; and

WHEREAS, Rx Partnership is a free-standing, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that serves as a broker to solicit free prescription medications from pharmaceutical companies and arranges for their distribution to affiliate free clinics and community health centers with licensed pharmacies, which Rx Partnership credentials, monitors, and audits; and

WHEREAS, in communities in which no community-based clinic with a licensed pharmacy exists or in which one central pharmacy can more effectively serve multiple clinics, Rx Partnership has fostered and assisted in the development of several central-fill pharmacy programs; and

WHEREAS, the Rx Partnership model is an innovative, efficient, and cost-effective process for providing vital prescription medication quickly to patients in need; and

WHEREAS, during the past six years, Rx Partnership has helped fill more than 246,000 prescriptions and has helped more than 35,000 eligible, uninsured, chronically ill patients at 20 affiliate free clinics and community health centers; and

WHEREAS, Rx Partnership’s six manufacturing partners have generously donated over 100 different medications in a variety of dosage strengths with a retail value in excess of $50 million; and

WHEREAS, Rx Partnership provides a unique approach to prescription medication assistance and was nationally recognized as a National Merit Finalist for Mutual of America’s Community Partnership Award and a Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation; and

WHEREAS, Rx Partnership was instrumental in requesting and receiving a landmark ruling from the Office of the Inspector General in early 2008; and

WHEREAS, Rx Partnership provides a tremendous return on the Commonwealth’s investment and has leveraged a cumulative $89 for every $1 match of state funds; and

WHEREAS, many of Virginia’s finest corporations and organizations made financial commitments to Rx Partnership during 2010, including Bedford Community Health Foundation, Carilion Foundation, Centra Health Foundation, Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, CVS Caremark, Dominion, Impact Makers, Jenkins Foundation, Mary Washington Hospital Foundation, McKesson, Medical Society of Virginia Foundation, Medical Society of Virginia, Obici Healthcare Foundation, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, Riverside Health System Foundation, Sentara Health Foundation, SunTrust, Williamsburg Community Health Foundation, and the Virginia Health Care Foundation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Virginia’s Rx Partnership and its partners on their outstanding service to the Commonwealth and their successful efforts to increase access to free prescription medications for Virginia’s uninsured citizens; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That Rx Partnership’s current manufacturing partners, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Abbott, Alcon, and sanofi-aventis U.S., be recognized for their many contributions and encouraged to continue their visionary support and generous donations of free prescription medications and that other pharmaceutical manufacturers may also be encouraged to participate in this innovative program; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That Rx Partnership’s private sector financial contributors be commended and inspired to continue their support and that the Commonwealth’s other corporate citizens and philanthropic entities may also be encouraged to participate by contributing resources and support to this valuable public-private partnership; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Virginia’s Rx Partnership and its partners GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Abbott, Alcon, and sanofi-aventis U.S. as an expression of the admiration and support of the General Assembly.