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NASHVILLE, TN – The Dispensary of Hope, a pioneering network of physicians, pharmacies and corporations with the aim of providing medicines to Tennesseans who can’t afford them and lack the insurance to access them, is launching in Middle and East Tennessee, officials announced today.

A not-for-profit organization, the Dispensary of Hope plans to create a statewide, and eventually a national, network of partners that will join with the program to assist the poor and underserved to get the medications they need for the short and long-term.

During a 36-month trial program based at Saint Thomas Health Services hospitals, The Dispensary of Hope collected more than $10 million in pharmaceuticals, filled more than 75,000 prescriptions for patients who otherwise couldn’t afford them and gave an additional $3 million in medications to other Tennessee clinics. Its network now includes more than 300 physicians and clinics as well as dispensing sites in Nashville, Murfreesboro and Knoxville.

“My vision for the Dispensary was based on my belief that no one should be deprived of the medicine they need because of an inability to pay,” said Dr. Bruce Wolf, who founded the Dispensary of Hope in 2004. “The Dispensary will not only improve the care of individuals, but it will save millions of dollars annually in unnecessary healthcare costs.” Wolf first laid the groundwork for the Dispensary of Hope by soliciting sample medications from other physicians and organizing volunteers to distribute them to people with incomes of less than 200 percent of the poverty line. Supported by Saint Thomas Health Services and an initial $350,000 grant from the State of Tennessee in 2006, the program has grown to include more than a dozen local and national partners contributing their resources and expertise in the sourcing, distributing and dispensing of the medicines.

Efficient system produces savings
The Dispensary of Hope has developed an efficient system to handle the high volume of prescription drugs it dispenses. Physicians’ offices, distributors and pharmaceutical manufacturers send their donated medications, excess inventory and medications with approaching expiration dates to the Dispensary’s distribution center. The center also receives prescription requests from the dispensing partners and forwards the medications as needed. The centralized inventory system includes a secure Web-based program for processing orders, managing inventory and capturing patient information.

The headquarters, based in Nashville, is a new 10,000 square foot facility with the ability to accept and distribute donated pharmaceuticals in small batches from physicians up to full pallets from manufacturers.

“Our work with The Dispensary of Hope has the potential to radically reshape the prescription drug market for thousands of Tennesseans and millions of Americans,” said Scott Cornwell, Managing Director of The Dispensary of Hope. “We have returned to the community more than $25 in medications for every dollar that’s been contributed since 2005. And this figure has been rising as the scale of the program has expanded.”

Cornwell joined the Dispensary of Hope earlier this year. Previously, he was vice president of operations with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, which serves more than 450,000 people in 46 Middle Tennessee counties. Cornwell also oversaw the national expansion of that nonprofit’s distribution system.

State, Saint Thomas team on funding
The Dispensary of Hope is affiliated with Saint Thomas Health Services Ventures, a unit of Saint Thomas Health Services led by business strategist Jason Dinger and formed to develop companies and programs that improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

STHS Ventures has provided the Dispensary of Hope with seed funding and corporate support and has committed $1 million over the next four years to the program. That funding builds on the $350,000 State of Tennessee grant awarded last year to expand the Dispensary of Hope’s hours of service, develop a statewide network and create a Web-based procurement system. The Dispensary of Hope has leveraged those state funds into more than $8 million worth of drug distributions.

“The donated pharmaceuticals and financial support results in exponential, measurable cost savings to the state and federal governments as well as hospitals, physicians and insurance providers,” noted Cornwell.

As a result, the State of Tennessee recently pledged another $1 million to further expand the Dispensary of Hope’s statewide reach. Among the projects on tap for the remainder of this year and 2008 are the opening of distribution centers in West and East Tennessee and the building of a mail order system to complement on-site distribution. By the conclusion of 2009, the Dispensary will have distribution hubs in the Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Centerville, Jackson and Memphis.

“We appreciate the continued support of the State of Tennessee and Governor Phil Bredesen. With that, we’re ready to take the next step toward our goal of providing medications for the estimated 809,000 uninsured in Tennessee. This has the potential to produce savings to the poor and uninsured of more than $65 million each year,” Cornwell said. “From there, we plan to launch the model regionally and then nationally. There is almost no limit to the positive impact the Dispensary can have.”

About the Dispensary of Hope
The Dispensary of Hope is a not-for-profit network of physicians, pharmacies, corporations and dispensing partners that provide medicines to people across Tennessee who are experiencing financial hardship and lack prescription drug coverage. The Dispensary of Hope is striving to create a national network of partners that will join with the program to assist the poor and underserved get the medications they need. Current partnerships include AstraZeneca, Ozburn-Hessey Logistics and UPS. For more information, visit www.dispensaryofhope.org.

About Saint Thomas Health Services
Saint Thomas Health Services is a faith-based ministry with more than 8,000 associates serving Middle Tennessee. Saint Thomas Health Services’ regional health system consists of four hospitals – Baptist and Saint Thomas in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro and Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville – and a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures in diagnostics, cardiac services and ambulatory surgery as well as medical practices, the Center for Spinal Surgery, clinics and rehabilitation facilities. STHS is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic organization that is the largest not-for-profit health system in the United States. For more information, visit www.sths.com.

About STHS Ventures
Saint Thomas Health Services Ventures is a division of Saint Thomas Health Services dedicated to advancing the mission and sustainability of STHS by developing companies and programs that improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Its initial portfolio includes the not-for- profit Dispensary of Hope, as well as the Saint Thomas Research Institute, Saint Thomas Emergency Medicine Services, Saint Thomas Health Services Community Medicine and The Corner Pharmacy.