Dayton to reap benefits from Charitable Healthcare Network's $5M affordable medication initiative

By: Rowan Hetzer

Full Article Credits to the Dayton Business Journal

Affordable health care options for more than 1.1 million adults in Ohio are expanding, as a local nonprofit seeks to broaden its regional impact – including in the Dayton area.

The Charitable Healthcare Network (CHN) is set to expand its free or low-cost healthcare services in the Dayton area, coinciding with the upcoming opening of the first drug repository and distribution center in the state.

In 2023, the Equity Rx pilot program was established through a collaboration between CHN, Dublin-based Cardinal Health and the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy. Following a successful run in southwest Ohio, Cardinal continued its investment in the program, which is now valued at more than $5 million.

"The partnership with Equity Rx came at a time when the Foundation was focused on making a greater, more focused impact that was also aligned to our mission and the communities we serve," said Jessica Mayer, chief legal and compliance officer at Cardinal Health and chair of the Cardinal Health Foundation Board. "Equity Rx allows us to do both. Supporting this program is a powerful way for us to live Cardinal Health's mission of improving the lives of people every day."

This investment will allow CHN to expand Equity Rx into the northeast and southeast quadrants of Ohio, as well as in three additional states with the partnership of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC).

According to Jason Koma, executive director of the Charitable Healthcare Network, it will also allow for more Dayton-area residents to consistently access critical medications. The pilot program previously served approximately 200 people in the Miami Valley while operating in nearby Cincinnati. 

“We've started in the Dayton area, and we're going to grow that in the Dayton area, Cincinnati area and across the state,” Koma told the DBJ. “What we're building is unlike anything else in the country, and we are super excited to make an impact for those in need to get the care they need.”

The Equity RX program connects charitable pharmacies with free clinics to supply medications to patients at no cost, initially working with the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy to provide these services. It has worked with four clinics in southwest Ohio, such as Good Neighbor House, Reach Out Montgomery County and the Open Arms Clinic in Bellbrook through a shared patient model where medications are delivered directly to clinics.

“A patient comes in, sees a provider, needs medications and then they work with the charitable pharmacy in Cincinnati to get the physical medications and get the best medication for that patient,” Koma explained. “The medications are then delivered from the pharmacy directly to the clinic, so the patient has the [prescriptions] in hand when he or she comes back for a follow up.”

The program has prevented $1.5 million in healthcare costs by providing medications, filled almost 28,000 prescriptions and served approximately 544 patients.

Additional funding also supports the development of Ohio's first statewide prescription drug repository and distribution center, where donated medications will be sorted, inventoried, catalogued and prepared for distribution at no cost to the CHN network organizations. 

The center will be located in Milford, east of Cincinnati. It will be housed at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati and developed in partnership with the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. It will be fully operational by 2027, with a portion of the new funding from Cardinal going towards start-up technologies and operations for the repository.

Research from KFF, an independent health policy research group, suggests about 70% of American adults take at least one prescription daily, and nearly a quarter take four or more. However, high drug costs prevent approximately 29% of individuals from obtaining necessary medications.

On the state level, more than 1.1 million adults in Ohio lack consistent access to critical medications, often choosing between life-saving prescriptions and necessities like food and housing. This gap leads to increased emergency room visits, unmanaged chronic illnesses and preventable complications, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities.

This need is particularly urgent for those managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as they rely on medication to control their illnesses and prevent complications.

“Our patients are hard working Ohioans,” Koma said. “These are folks that often have two jobs, but [may not] have health insurance provided with those jobs. Imagine if they get sick, [and] they're not able to work at those jobs, contributing to the economy… We're keeping these individuals healthy, keeping them well, allowing them to help grow our businesses and really be the backbone of Ohio's economy, while also doing the right thing and restoring dignity by providing essential health care when they need it.”

CHN is actively seeking new partners, including local organizations and philanthropic donors, to aid in the program's expansion. The network is working with existing resources and plans to eventually hire additional staff in the future to support the program's expansion.

The Charitable Healthcare Network includes 58 network institutions delivering free or low-cost care to patients in 86 of Ohio's 88 counties. The network provided 715,000 healthcare services in 2024, valued at $224 million, and served about 80,000 patients annually. Support from the Foundation and the NAFC has expanded its Equity Rx program, establishing 10 charitable clinics across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Illinois.