madbook ~

SOCIAL MENTAL ILLNESS
Although the State of Connecticut, under chief thief John Rowland, was capable of shoving through a $229 million dollar gift to ENRON weeks before it went bankrupt, it appears that same state is unable or unwilling to pay state pharmacies on time to ensure that clients on Title 19 get their medications as prescribed |
     I try not to burden my state legislators with case-by-case problems of clients but one that came to light this morning is particularly disturbing. Moreover, it sounds as if it might have much larger ramifications |
     This morning -at home- I got a phone call from a man on the other side of the state, distraught after being told by his Assertive Community Treatment [ACT]^* team nurse that he didn't have any medications for the weekend | After a couple of phone calls I learned that the pharmacy owner was refusing to provide any meds to clients whose pharmachy bills the state has gotten behind in paying the pharmacy bills | In this man's situation the bill amounts to some $2,000 (approximately). I've no idea how many other clients are so adversely impacted |
     While on the pharmacist's part, I can understand his frustration at not being paid, it seems inconscionable to deprive people of prescribed medications, I also know this problem [i.e.pharmacies not getting paid] is not a new one. I'm not certain which is the culprit, but just because Connecticut's Department of Administrative Services [or the Office of Policy + Management] can't get it's act together to pay vendors in a timely manner doesn't mean the state's most fragile should be punished |
     In this specific situation, I'm trying to work out with the pharmacist, by phone, so the man to get his weekend's work of medications and hope that this could get resolved on Monday | And just for the record I also took the time to raise the question to one of the legislators on the Public Health Committee |

posted by Will Brady @ 11:35