A nonprofit pharmacy is looking to open a new location in Shawnee to expand access to affordable medication in Johnson County.
In November, the Kansas City, Kansas-based Pharmacy of Grace launched its Expanding Medication Access for Healthier Lives Campaign to open a new pharmacy in Shawnee aimed at providing access to medication to those without insurance or who are underinsured.
Pharmacy of Grace is aiming to open at 11644 W. 75th St., inside the same building that houses Mercy & Truth Healthcare Ministry, a faith-based clinic it works with to deliver medications to those in need.
The location is near neighborhoods where people struggle to pay for medication, according to data from the Mid-America Regional Council, John Yost, Pharmacy of Grace’s co-founder, told the Johnson County Post.
“Within walking distance, there’s 2,000 patients or people who are uninsured, and just a block from that location is a Title I elementary school (Shawanoe Elementary School), 86% of students (there) qualify for free lunch,” he said.
Pharmacy of Grace’s goal is to raise $705,800 in order to purchase the equipment needed to lease the building, as well as pay for staffing and operating costs. Yost said they intend to open next spring.
Pharmacy of Grace saw need in Johnson County
Pharmacy of Grace opened its first and currently only full-time pharmacy in Wyandotte County in 2022, aimed at serving people who face financial, language and transportation barriers when it comes to purchasing medication.
In 2023, it began delivering medications to Mercy & Truth Healthcare Ministry clinic patients in Shawnee, where Yost said they realized there was an unmet need in Johnson County.
A Johnson County resident himself, Yost said that while the county is viewed as wealthy, there’s a sizable population here that can’t afford medication, especially in the area where they plan to serve.
“Between 25 and 40% of the people that live there are uninsured in a couple miles (of) that area. You don’t think of that in Johnson County, but Johnson County actually has more uninsured people than Wyandotte (County). It’s just got a lower percentage because it’s got a bigger population,” Yost said.
In addition to medication access, the pharmacy will also offer medication counseling, education and interpretation services, as well as referrals to help people navigate social and financial resources.
The pharmacy deals with discounted medication
The pharmacy gets its medications from several different sources, including donated medications from the Nashville-based nonprofit organization Dispensary of Hope; a government program that works with Mercy & Truth Ministry that gives them access to discounted medication; discount cards for new medication; and discounted cash prices for generic medication.
“We give people a better price than they could get if they did even (the prescription medication program) GoodRx or something like that,” Yost said.
While local and chain pharmacies also have access to these programs, Yost said it’s often such a hassle that they don’t bother utilizing them.
“Not to pick on them, but take any of the chain pharmacies, their pharmacists do not have time to mess with that. You walk in there, you see how busy they are. They’re not looking for discount cards or anything like that. They’re just trying to get people out the door,” he said.
Grace has seen the impact of making medication affordable
Since it opened its first location three years ago, Yost said it’s seen the positive impact it can have on people who couldn’t previously afford medication.
“(Pharmacy of Grace employees), they’ll talk about somebody who will get tears in her eyes because they can actually get their medication. Like, they’re a diabetic that was in and out of the hospital because they couldn’t get insulin,” he said.
Being able to have access to medication is a life-changing event, Yost added.
“It’s a big impact on patients that want to take care of themselves and just haven’t been able to because they were in that gap where they had no insurance and didn’t have resources,” he said.
How to donate: People are encouraged to donate at the Pharmacy of Grace’s campaign website
