Community Care Programs

Northland Collaboration Helps Area Students

A pilot Emergency Medication Assistance program through MLM’s Clay County center has begun subsidizing qualifying prescription purchases for students in need in the North Kansas City School District.

The program was initiated by St. James Lutheran Church and underwritten by a $1,000 startup contribution. MLM contributed another $5,000 from several funds while the HyVee Grocery pharmacy at North Oak and Englewood Road also cooperates.

“This partnership is allowing students with assessment from the school nurses and MLM criteria, to provide certain prescriptions at no cost to the families,” explained Lon Waterman, director of student and family services with the school district. “It’s designed to help those who are having difficulty getting medication. We’re thrilled because these things often impact the students’ ability to focus and learn.”

Individual medication varies, but cost is a key factor in need noted Jeanni Wells, coordinator of MLM’s Clay County center. “The first student involved in the program was diabetic and needed a specific type of kidney medicine. But a 30 day supply of that one medicine was $440.” In many cases, duplicate doses for many medicines are needed—one for the family at home and another for emergencies at school.

Families and children qualifying for the program often have one or more parents who has lost a job and, with it, insurance.

“This program fills a huge gap,” Waterman said. “We have a variety of children who are on various medications and when their family loses insurance or has a problem, this affects the child’s health and their ability to concentrate in school.”

The school nursing staff, HyVee and MLM all helped, but St. James provided the key impetus, Wells said. “They were doing the program themselves. They wanted us to be involved because of screening but they set the whole thing up. It really is a great program.”

With support from area Lutheran churches and other congregations representing multiple area denominations, Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry of Kansas City serves homeless youth and adults, senior citizens and families throughout the metropolitan area.

For more information, call (816) 931-0027 or visit www.mlmkc.org on the Internet.