NC MedAssist will hold a free Over the Counter (OTC) Medicine Give Away Day in Granville County on Thursday, September 15. The event, which is made possible by Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, is open to any individual or family needing OTC medication. The Give Away will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Public Works Facility (127 Penn Avenue, Oxford, NC 27565).
“We are honored to partner with NC MedAssist for the Over the Counter Medicine Give Away Day in Granville County,” stated Triangle North Healthcare Foundation Executive Director Val Short. “Our organization values the work they do in our community for those who are vulnerable and don’t have access to healthcare. We hope to educate participants on the healthcare resources available in Granville and the surrounding counties.”
This will be the first OTC event held in Granville County and event organizers are expecting to serve at least 800 individuals. Each individual will receive $100 worth of OTC product which includes items such as allergy relief, pain relief, indigestion relief, cold medicine, first-aid and vitamins for all ages. There is no identification or eligibility requirement for Give Away Day participants, however, participants must be 18 years of age or older.
The OTC program is completely volunteer run. Serving 800 individuals in one day takes many hands to make sure the program runs smoothly and ensures that all patients are served before the door closes. NC MedAssist is collaborating with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, Public Works and other safety-net organizations to recruit community members to serve in roles such as pharmacy consultation, client ‘personal shoppers’, and OTC sorters. Those interested in volunteering can sign up at www.medassist.org.
NC MedAssist’s overall goal is to help alleviate the strain on the healthcare system by providing medications to those who normally use the emergency room for reasons such as fever, minor pain relief and treating cold and flu symptoms.
“NC MedAssist is looking forward to hosting our first OTC Event in Granville County,” stated Executive Director Lori Giang. “There are over 6,700 people in Granville County who are both low-income and uninsured. This OTC program will help us identify neighbors who may qualify for our free prescription pharmacy program. We are thankful for our partners, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation and Cardinal Innovations Healthcare for helping us to bring an OTC day to the Oxford community.”
Since its inception, NC MedAssist has distributed more than $3.9 million dollars of donated OTC medication to North Carolina individuals and clinic partners. For more information on the OTC Program and NC MedAssist, please visit www.medassist.org.
About NC MedAssist: Founded in 1997, NC MedAssist is a statewide non-profit pharmacy that provides free prescription medicines to low-income, uninsured North Carolinians. MedAssist offers three programs that address the needs of children and adults: the Free Pharmacy program, the Over-The-Counter (OTC) Medicine program, and the Senior Care program. MedAssist dispenses more than $32 million worth of free prescription medication to 13,000 low-income North Carolinians each year. To learn more about NC MedAssist and find out how to get involved, visit www.medassist.org, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.