GreenShield pilot project to provide underserved communities with essential medications at no cost

Not-for-profit health services provider GreenShield has launched a pilot project that will help underserved communities gain access to essential medications at no cost.

The project will cater to low-income individuals who fall outside of the 97 per cent of Canadians with public or private drug coverage. A GreenShield press release said the program aims to fill the gap for “those without access to financial aid or employer benefits” such as gig workers, young adults who’ve aged out of provincial coverage, and early retirees on a fixed income.

“A subset of Canadians often must choose between paying for their prescription medication or meeting their basic needs, leading to an overall reduced quality of life,” said Ned Pojskic, vice-president of pharmacy benefits management at GreenShield.

A survey conducted by the company found that 29 per cent of immigrants are without prescription drug coverage as compared to 17 per cent of non-immigrants, due to a lack of affordability.

The program kicked off last month in partnership with Niagara Falls Community Health Centre and the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, with other locations to follow. GreenShield hopes to eventually provide a solution for the more than one million Canadians without coverage.

Eligible patients will receive up to $1,000 of drug coverage from an approved list of essential medicines based on research from the World Health Organization and Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital. The press release said these medications “are selected based on evidence for clinical efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness.” GreenShield’s digital pharmacy, The Health Depot, will be dispensing and delivering the medicines at no cost.

To apply, individuals must be an employed Ontario resident with valid OHIP, aged 25 to 64, with an income below Statistics Canada low-income measure. You must require prescription medications for a diagnosed medical condition and can’t be enrolled in any private or Ontario public drug program, with the exception of the Trillium Drug Program.

More to come.

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