In the back of Buderer Pharmacy in Sandusky are $3 million worth of prescription medications waiting to be distributed for free.

These unused prescriptions, collected from nursing homes and other area extended care facilities, are rounded up by Buderer and redistributed to the underinsured and uninsured of Lorain County.

The Coalition for the Uninsured in Lorain County — a network of local healthcare providers formed in 2003 — works with Buderer to make sure the medications get to people who need them instead of being destroyed.

The program officially launched in January and already has filled more than 60 prescriptions in Lorain County. But that is only the beginning of what the coalition hopes to do.

“It’s going to grow like crazy,” said Tanas Wilcox, director of nursing for the Lorain County General Health District and co-chairwoman of the coalition. Ultimately, she said, the group hopes to send 1,620 mail-order prescriptions a year, helping the 35,000 uninsured residents of Lorain County get their medications.

These aims have their roots in personal tragedy and public policy.

From tragedy to helping

When Karon Beltz died of breast cancer in 1999, she left a legacy of kindness, a broken-hearted husband and $6,700 worth of prescription medications, her husband, Garry Beltz, said.

Dismayed that his wife’s valuable medication would be destroyed, Beltz decided to find a way to salvage and re-dispense the unused, sealed prescriptions.

So the Uniontown resident called his then-state representative, Kirk Schuring, and explained the situation.

“‘Wow, that’s something I’ve never thought about,’ ” Beltz said Schuring told him.

It wasn’t an easy task, and Beltz said he had to change a lot of minds as well as some laws.

But after several years and slogging through some thick bureaucracy, Karon’s Law was passed in 2003.

Although it began with much opposition, it ended with unanimous approval in both the Ohio Senate and House. Of the 99 House members, 77 were co-sponsors.

Since then, Karon’s Law has been a paragon of legislative success, Beltz said. Similar laws have been passed in 35 states, and Beltz estimates it will save $40 million for Ohio residents having trouble affording their medications in 2008.

One of the offshoots of Karon’s Law is the establishment of repositories around the state that house the unused prescriptions. 

Inspired by the success of those repositories, the Coalition for the Uninsured decided to set one up in Lorain County. After a successful trial program at the end of last year, the full program launched in January.

How it works

In a perfect world, the Lorain County Drug Repository hopes to send out medication as quickly as it brings it in. It is the only repository in Ohio filling orders by mail, and the young program is still striving to reach its full potential.

To begin the process, a resident who needs medication and whose income is less than twice the federal poverty level can ask their physician to send in a request for medication from the repository.

The repository houses virtually all forms of maintenance medication and is adding to its stock continuously, Lorain County General Health District’s Wilcox said.

Right now, the 1,000-square-foot repository is bringing in only a third of what it could be. The coalition is hoping to raise more money to assist it in helping up to 216 patients in the county each year. The program already has received $15,500 from the Community Foundation of Lorain County.

That grant covers the $7.40 cost of a prescription and the $7 shipping fee, according to the health district.

“We’re dedicating as much time as we can afford,” said Matt Buderer, vice president of Buderer Drug Co. Buderer employees volunteer time when during lulls in their own orders, he said.

According to Buderer, the more people who make use of the system, the more the system will be able to provide.

“We can help a lot of people,” he said.

Contact Michael Baker at 329-7128 or mbaker@chroniclet.com.

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