Faith Community Pharmacy, a Northern Kentucky-based non-profit organization, has announced it will relocate from Florence to 601 Washington Ave. in Newport effective June 1.
The new office space, located in WaterTower Square, features an updated and expanded pharmacy allowing for the expansion of services, a private consultation room to better serve patients and proximity to key partner organizations.
Faith Community Pharmacy is the only charitable pharmacy in Northern Kentucky. The pharmacy provides prescription medications free of charge to patients with chronic illnesses like asthma and diabetes who otherwise cannot afford them. For many, the medications provided by the Pharmacy are lifesaving and prevent patients from having to decide between medication and food or rent.
Moving to Newport brings several important advantages to the Pharmacy and the community. First is a significant increase in space for the Pharmacy. The Pharmacy will share a building with outstanding organizations that offer complementary services, and be in close proximity to other social service agencies that are often serving the same or similar clients. Most notable, the new location is in the same community as the highest density of its current patients and where research shows the most need exists, especially for the working poor and low-income communities of color who are often disproportionately impacted by the chronic disease states the Pharmacy supports, such as diabetes and asthma.
“We are incredibly fortunate for so many reasons,” said, Aaron Broomall, Executive Director for Faith Community Pharmacy. “For the past 20 years Faith Community Pharmacy has served as the prescription safety net for thousands in our community. This relocation ensures that we will be able to meet the need in our community for the next 20 years.”
The move to a new location coincides with a milestone for the Pharmacy, its 20-year anniversary. Faith Community Pharmacy was founded in 2002 by pharmacists Rosana Aydt and Mary Beth Beimesch as the St. Vincent DePaul Community Pharmacy. Aydt and Beimesch saw patients in their pharmacies not taking or rationing critical medications simply because they could not afford them. They thought a charitable pharmacy could be the solution for these vulnerable patients. The name of the pharmacy was changed to Faith Community Pharmacy when it was relocated from St. Vincent DePaul in Crescent Springs to an independent location in Florence.
In the past 20 years, the pharmacy has provided nearly 8,000 Northern Kentuckians with over 575,000 prescriptions valued at more than $61 million. This intervention is shown to reduce emergency room visits by over 50% and hospitalizations by over 70% for patients in their first year in the program.
“Moving to a new location during our 20-year anniversary makes the move that much more symbolic,” said Board Chair Joan Tepe Wurtenberger. “It enables us to continue providing medications for our neighbors in need while giving us the space to provide a higher level of service. We are excited to continue our work to ensure no one in Northern Kentucky goes without lifesaving medications due to affordability. We are grateful to our generous donors and supporters, dedicated Board of Directors and outstanding staff for making this move possible.”
The Pharmacy is planning a ribbon-cutting and open house at the new location later this summer.
Faith Community Pharmacy
