Hospitals are cornerstones of community care, consistently evolving to meet the needs of those they serve and finding innovative ways to remove barriers to better health for those who need it most.
The teams at Trinity Health Grand Rapids are committed to helping enhance access to care by partnering with the Dispensary of Hope, a nonprofit that connects uninsured and low-income individuals living with chronic conditions to free prescription medication.
Trinity Health Pharmacy – Roosevelt Park
This follows a 2023 Kent County Community Health Needs Assessment which identified access to medical care as a top priority. The assessment found that 35% of uninsured residents reported skipping a doctor’s visit or a prescribed medication within the previous year due to cost.
Knowing this, the teams at Trinity Health sprang into action. There are now Dispensary of Hope partnerships at Trinity Health Pharmacy – Roosevelt Park (Grand Rapids), Trinity Health Pharmacy – North Muskegon, and Trinity Health – EMU Campus (Ypsilanti).
“One of our core values at Trinity Health is a commitment to those experiencing poverty,” said Matt Biersack, MD, president, Trinity Health Grand Rapids. “We stand with and serve those community members, especially the most vulnerable. This partnership with Dispensary of Hope brings this value to life and shows what it looks like in action.”
Dispensary of Hope is open to anyone in the community and is not limited to Trinity Health patients. The unique model works by providing medication donated from pharmaceutical manufacturers for Dispensary of Hope to distribute across dispensing sites, including pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and safety net clinics licensed to dispense medication to patients.
To qualify, patients must be uninsured or hold insurance without prescription coverage, live at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level and not be enrolled in government-sponsored coverage such as Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits.
The average price of a newly launched drug has more than doubled since 2021, reaching a staggering $370,000 in 2024.
As prescription drug prices continue to climb at an alarming rate across Michigan and the country, efforts like this alongside the national 340B program continue to help qualified healthcare providers offer lifesaving care that’s close to home for patients in need.
To learn about other stories of innovation advancing care across Michigan, visit mihospitals.org. To read more positive hospital stories, check out the Hospitals Help webpage. Members with questions may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.
Phone: (517) 703-8601
Fax: (517) 703-0628
