Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley

Barbara Gets the Live-Saving Medication She Needs, Because of You.

When Barbara Hill visited her doctor earlier this year, she hoped to hear that her diabetes was under control. Instead, she learned that she needed to start using insulin. The oral medication alone that she had been taking wasn’t doing enough to keep her blood sugar in check.

Barbara, who has difficulty walking and lives on a fixed income, knew she couldn’t afford to pay for her insulin. That’s when a Mercy Health social worker told her about the Prescription Assistance program provided by donors to Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.

Thanks to you, the Prescription Assistance program ensures Barbara can get the life-saving medications she needs to control her diabetes.

“Without this program, I wouldn’t be able to afford my insulin and would have to go without,” the New Middletown resident says. “I think it’s great, and it’s very much appreciated.”

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, picking up her prescription became even more of a challenge. That’s when social workers and the manager of the Prescription Assistance program moved to the parking lot of the ambulatory clinic at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

Once a month, they call patients to let them know what day they can drive through and pick up their prescriptions without getting out of their cars.

“This really helps,” Barbara says. “Thank you, donors, for all of these services and for all of your help.”