News Release

Students to help Hmong Seniors Pick Medicare Prescription Plan

(December 19, 2007) -

University of the Pacific pharmacy students and professors will help Hmong seniors enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan just days before the federal deadline. The one-day workshop is from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29 in Fresno during the Hmong International New Year Celebration, at 1558 N. Ninth Street.

Trained students and faculty members from Pacific’s Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will help Medicare eligible-seniors find the best prescription plan available at the lowest cost possible. Native Hmong speakers will be on hand to help seniors apply for Medicare prescription drug coverage, or Medicare Part D, which can be a complex process that involves choosing from dozens of prescription drug plans.

“In our community, Medicare Part D is certainly a familiar term but few of us fully understand all the complexities of the benefit,” said Pacific pharmacy professor Rajul Patel, who teaches a course on Medicare Part D. “With more than 50 stand-alone prescription drug plans in the state to choose from, it’s not surprising that many of us are overwhelmed and somewhat confused.”

Pacific students and faculty are teaming up with University of California, San Francisco’s School of Pharmacy during the event. They hope to enroll up to 100 people. By choosing the right plan, eligible participants could save hundreds of dollars on prescription drug costs, Patel said. Participants looking to ensure coverage on Jan. 1 must enroll by Dec. 31. To R.S.V. P., contact Dala Yang at 559.355.2326 by Friday, Dec. 28.
 
Pacific is one of seven California pharmacy schools that make up Partners in D, a statewide outreach program designed to assist seniors in underserved communities with Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. The other schools are: the University of California, San Francisco; Loma Linda University; Touro University, California; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Southern California; and Western University of Health Sciences.

Partners in D is supported by a grant from The Amgen Foundation. UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty Marilyn R. Stebbins, PharmD and Helene L. Lipton, PhD serve as Co-Principal Investigators of the project.