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HomeNewsLocal newsPatient Assist V.I. Marks $1 Million Milestone

Patient Assist V.I. Marks $1 Million Milestone

Patient Assist V.I., a private non-profit organization, has celebrated a milestone, facilitating $1 million in free prescription medications to low-income Virgin Islanders since it was founded five years ago.

PAVI works with uninsured and underinsured patients and their doctors to determine a medication plan, then researches and applies for free medications from pharmaceutical companies on behalf of their patients.

PAVI also uses donations from the community to purchase medications at highly discounted prices from both charitable and local pharmacies, according to the organization’s news release. The medication donations are made by multinational pharmaceutical companies, generous individuals and companies associated with the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The organization celebrated with an event for donors at the Caribbean Fish Market April 18. The event was due to “the generosity of the St. Thomas Restaurant Group and Bellows International,” the news release said.

The organization was founded in 2012 by Laurel Nuschke on the principle that no person should have to choose between the medications they need to stay healthy and basic living expenses. According to the group’s website, www.patientassistvi.org, “We are currently helping any patient in need on St. Thomas and St. John. Moving forward, we hope to expand our reach to St. Croix and ensure that all eligible patients in the USVI have access to our service. We look forward to the day when all patients in the Virgin Islands will not only receive the medical care they need, but also the medications necessary to lead healthy, productive lives.”

Patient Assist VI helps patients obtain prescription drug medications that would otherwise be unattainable due to income limitations, the news release said. PAVI meets with uninsured or under-insured individuals who are having difficulty paying for their medicines. Some drug makers have programs to assist these individuals.

“We apply to drug makers who then send medications to those who meet eligibility criteria,” the group’s news release said. “If their medicines are generic we have a small fund of money to purchase them through discount pharmacies. This is where donations can really help. We use donated funds to purchase medicines not available through the drug maker.”

More information about the organization is available by calling 340-775-0053 or sending an email to patientassistvi@gmail.com.

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