HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-02-2018 Item #3, Reinhart (2)1
Tonikian, Victoria
From:Goodwin, Heather
Sent:Monday, April 30, 2018 12:36 PM
To:Tonikian, Victoria
Subject:FW: HRC Mtg. 5/4/18
Attachments:CP edits HRC Letter.pdf
Heather Goodwin, CMC
Deputy City Clerk
City Administration
City Clerk's Office
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
E hgoodwin@slocity.org
T 805.781.7103
slocity.org
From: Sarah Reinhart <
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2018 12:21 PM
To: Goodwin, Heather <hgoodwin@slocity.org>
Subject: Re: HRC Mtg. 5/4/18
Hi Heather,
Sorry to bother you. I accidentally had sent the wrong version of the letter. Could you submit the correction.
On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 1:57 PM, Goodwin, Heather <hgoodwin@slocity.org> wrote:
Hello Sarah,
All is going well, hope all is going well with you too. Yes, I will make sure this letter gets to the commissioners
before next week’s meeting
Thank you,
2
Heather Goodwin, CMC
Deputy City Clerk
City Administration
City Clerk's Office
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
E hgoodwin@slocity.org
T 805.781.7103
slocity.org
From: Sarah Reinhart <
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2018 12:31 PM
To: Goodwin, Heather <hgoodwin@slocity.org>
Subject: HRC Mtg. 5/4/18
Hi Heather,
I hope you are doing well. Could you make sure that the HRC commissioners get this letter before next week's meeting?
Best,
Sarah Montes Reinhart
Executive Director
Alliance for Pharmaceutical Access, Inc.
apameds.org
(O) 805.614.2040
(M) 949.280.2062
‐‐
Sarah Montes Reinhart
Executive Director
Alliance for Pharmaceutical Access, Inc.
apameds.org
(O) 805.614.2040
(M) 949.280.2062
Phone: 805.614.2040 Fax: 805.614.2010
Office Location: 506 E. Plaza Drive #5 Santa Maria, CA 93454
Mailing Address:237 Town Center West#122 Santa Maria, CA 93458
Email:Sarah.Reinhart@dignityhealth.org Web: www.apameds.org
April 27, 2018
Attn: Human Relations Commissioners: Robert Clayton, Barrie DuBois, Samuel Hughes, Emily
Rosten, Carol Sexton, Michael Hopkins, and Nancy Welts.
As you prepare to make important recommendations and budget allocations for the 2018-2019
Grants In-Aid program, I urge you to consider the work and impact that the Alliance for
Pharmaceutical Access (APA) has on the health of our community members. We are committed
to creating access to lifesaving medications to those who cannot afford it. In 2017, we secured
141 prescription medications and 26 individual health grants for the uninsured and underinsured
residents of San Luis Obispo. This included helping those living with cancer, HIV and Hepatitis
C, to name a few, obtain free or steeply discounted treatments. We know firsthand that the
issue of healthcare equity has many components, and our work can seem like a Band-Aid on a
bullet wound. However, until there is a more ideal solution addressing the affordability and
accessibility of medications, we continue to do everything we can to serve those in our community
who are often choosing between filling a prescription or feeding their families. This remains a pressing
need in SLO County but capacity to effectively address it remains limited.
Due to limited funding for SLO County, we were able to provide only six hours of direct
advocacy services for SLO residents at the SLO NOOR Clinic. Yet, the value of our work has
had a lasting impact on the health and wellness of the people we served. When the SLO County
Medically Indigent Program cannot provide assistance due to immigration status or other
factors, APA is there as a last safety net. Over the past few years, our partnership with the SLO
NOOR Foundation has been very productive in serving the uninsured. Thankfully, the SLO
NOOR Foundation secured funding to hire one of our trained medication access advocates to
assist their patients’ in-house, ensuring continuity of care. While we are grateful that a portion of
the uninsured population is receiving this assistance, we continue to struggle meeting the needs
of those who face critical gaps in medication coverage. This includes many vulnerable SLO
seniors.
At least once a week, we are fielding calls from social workers and emergency room discharge
nurses who are desperate to help their patients. The entirety of our public funding goes directly
towards securing medication treatments.
APA’s medication access program facilitates this access and meets a vital need in the
community. The return on investment is clear: in 2017, APA secured 1,605 prescriptions which
translates into $2.6 million in medications and health treatments. This was accomplished with
four part-time advocates, including myself).
Phone: 805.614.2040 Fax: 805.614.2010
Office Location: 506 E. Plaza Drive #5 Santa Maria, CA 93454
Mailing Address:237 Town Center West#122 Santa Maria, CA 93458
Email:Sarah.Reinhart@dignityhealth.org Web: www.apameds.org
We must continue to collaborate and ensure that residents of San Luis Obispo County
who are living with life-threatening chronic and rare diseases have access to the
medication treatments they need.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
With Deep Gratitude,
Sarah Montes Reinhart, MPP
Executive Director