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Donation Drives

St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy Grows In First Year To Meet Increasing Needs
Physicians Samples Urgently Needed

Every day in Cincinnati, there are people who cannot afford desperately needed medicine. Imagine going without heat in order to buy Insulin, or watching a loved one suffer without relief. The St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy is the only pharmacy in southeast Ohio dedicated to providing completely free medication and professional pharmaceutical care to people in need from Hamilton, Butler, Warren an d Clermont counties. Three years in the making, the SVDP Charitable Pharmacy opened in September 2006 and is currently open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In the first full year of operation (September ’06 – August ’07), the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy has cared for 467 people and dispensed a total of 4,521 prescriptions with a retail value of approximately $381,500. Prescription volume is increasing steadily with approximately 20% growth each month since the pharmacy opened.

Those helped by the SVDP Charitable Pharmacy primarily include the working poor who cannot afford prescription insurance, those who have lost their jobs and those with Medicare coverage who have reached a gap in their coverage or have so many prescriptions they cannot afford pharmacy co-pays. Others need temporary assistance as they try to secure coverage or qualify for other assistance programs. Reaching a wide cross-section of those who are uninsured or underinsured, most referrals come from local clinics, private physicians, transitional housing, homeless shelters and hospital emergency rooms. Pharmacy staff members work to assess each individual’s need for a “medical home” to receive follow-up and preventive care.

In partnership with the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, the Charitable Pharmacy accepts donations of sample medication from physician offices. For more information, contact Mike Espel, R. Ph. at (513) 562-8841, ext. 264.

Your contribution can help. You can donate now using our online donation form or monetary donations can also be mailed to:
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
1125 Bank Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions for clients and social service providers about enrolling in the program

Click here to read more about the Charitable Pharmacy.

Click here to read the physician fact sheet

Click here for a PDF of our new pharmacy brochure.

Click here for volunteer opportunities.


HealthCare Friends held the "Prescription for Fun 9-Hole Golf Outing" to raise more than $6,000 for the SVDP Charitable Pharmacy.