Not-for-profit integrated health and group benefits provider GreenShield has launched a pilot program to provide essential medicines for low-income communities in Canada.
GreenShield’s essential medicines program aims to benefit individuals with no access to prescription drug coverage.
It was launched in Ontario in partnership with the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre and the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, with other locations to follow.
Under the program, GreenShield’s digital pharmacy, called The Health Depot, will dispense and deliver essential medicines to those in need without any further cost.
More than one million Canadians do not have coverage for essential medicines, according to GreenShield’s data.
Nearly a third (29%) of immigrants admitted to not having prescription drug coverage, compared to 17% of non-immigrants, the company added.
"Many Canadians are without access to essential medicines due to a lack of affordability, with those from marginalized and/or racialized groups struggling the most,” said Zahid Salman, president and CEO of GreenShield.
The essential medicines program aims to address coverage gaps among Canadians in most need.
"There is a notable percentage of the population who do not qualify for the provincial or territorial prescription drug benefits plan and whose employer may not offer a private drug plan," said Ned Pojskic, vice president of GreenShield’s pharmacy benefits management.
"This means that 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."
GreenShield is a not-for-profit social enterprise that reinvests its earnings and redeploys its services to support underserved Canadian communities via its social impact brand, GreenShield Cares.
The company aims to generate $75 million of social impact investments to improve the lives of at least one million Canadians by 2025, with a focus on mental and oral health.
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