Mission
The Center for Medicine Access (CMA) works with our partners in County government, the provider community, and community-based organizations to provide access to medication services and prescription drug information for low-income uninsured residents of Montgomery County.

Goals

• Provide 100 percent access to affordable point-of-service medicine at the Community HealthLink clinics.
• Expand linkage with and training of other community-based organizations to enroll qualified individuals into the patient-assistance programs for chronic, long-term medications.
• Expand Community Pharmacy beyond the Community HealthLink clinics.
• In collaboration with CCBHI, embed the Medications Management Module within CHLCare.

Programs and Activities
The Center utilizes a multi-strategy approach in order to achieve its mission.  Six core programs address a broad spectrum of community needs to address medicine access.

• Community Pharmacy is the Center’s point-of-service prepackaged medicine dispensing system, which offers 33 generic medications to Montgomery Cares patients at the point of a clinic visit. In fiscal year 2007, $783,094 worth of point-of-service medicine has been purchased for the clinic sites, and clinic medical directors estimate that 85 percent of all clinic patients are receiving Community Pharmacy medications. In addition, CMA provided $165,560 worth of diabetic supplies. CMA has expanded Community Pharmacy beyond the clinic environment to include the Montgomery County Behavioral Health program, Montgomery County Dental Health project, and the Maternity Partnership under the DHHS Women’s Health Program.
• Pharmacy Benefit Management provides medication assistance for PCC’s Care for Kids and Project Access programs. Individuals receive a pharmacy card with HMO pricing providing access to a broad network of local retail pharmacies. The benefit, provided by Catalyst Rx, has been accessed by 309 Care for Kids children in FY2007.
• Montgomery County Medbank Program. CMA administers the Montgomery County affiliate site of the Medbank of Maryland, Inc. program, providing access to the pharmaceutical industry’s patient-assistance programs for free or reduced-cost brand medications.  Center staff also provides technical assistance and training to other community-based organizations on how to utilize the patient-assistance programs, and how to qualify and enroll individuals.  In FY2007, CMA linked with Ministries United Silver Spring and Takoma Park (MUSST) and Community Ministries of Rockville to enroll qualified individuals into the patient-assistance programs for chronic long-term medications. County residents received $592,000 in free and reduced-cost medicines in FY 2007.
• Medbank of Maryland, Inc. Central Fill Pharmacy. The Medbank Pharmacy partners with pharmaceutical companies to establish a central-fill, mail-order licensed pharmacy. The pharmacy receives donations of brand bulk medication directly from the pharmaceutical manufacturers, and currently participates with six of the country's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers. Delivery time of pharmacy medication requires two to seven working days for receipt of medication to the providers office.
• Community Outreach and Education is an integral aspect of the work of the Center for Medicine Access. Through collaborative partnerships, the Center aims to raise public awareness of resources and information regarding medicine access at the local, state, and national level. Center staff has played an integral role in assisting persons with special needs, such as renal transplant patients, cancer patients, and low-income Medicare patients needing help with Medicare Part D.
• Health Improvement/Utilization Management. The CMA partners with PCC’s Centers and other community-based organizations in research efforts to address social determinants of health care and medicine access. Research data are collected, reported, and evaluated to measure health outcomes and improve the delivery system.

Committees
Formulary development and professional oversight is provided by a Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee comprised of providers, independent pharmacists, a former county health officer, and NIH and FDA professionals who volunteer to serve on the committee.  The current CMA formularies, as approved by the P and T Committee, are posted in pdf format below.

files/file/Community Pharmacy Formularies, October 2008.pdf

Current committee members include:

• Dan Boring, RPh, PhD, Chair, NCI, Division of Cancer Prevention
• Barbara Clark, NP, Mobil Medical Care
• Carol Garvey, MD, MPH, Garvey and Associates
• Evelyn Lewis, MD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Elise Riley, MD, Medical Director, Holy Cross Hospital Health Center
• James Ronan, MD, Medical Director, Mercy Health Clinic
• Joan Glick, RN, FNP, Montgomery County School Health Program
• Lana Pauls, MPH, Food and Drug Administration
• Stanley Smith, PD, Pharmacist
• Maria Triantis, RN, MBA, Director, PCC Center for Health Improvement
• Rosemary Botchway, PCC Staff Representative, Director, Center for Medicine Access
• Gabriel Hidalgo, PCC Staff Representative, Coordinator, PCC Community Pharmacy

Staff
Rosemary Botchway, Director, 301.628.3448
Nilsa Benavides, Client Services Specialist, 301.628.3449
Danielle Freedman, Client Services Specialist, 301.628.3440
Nigel Tulloch, Client Services Specialist, 301.628.3421
Gabriel Hidalgo, Community Pharmacy Coordinator, 301.628.3426
Chinelo Nwankwo, Community Outreach Coordinator, 301.628.3453

CMA Main Number, 301.628.3422 

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