ASHEVILLE - An organization that provides medical and psychiatric care at multiple locations across Western North Carolina will soon offer a mobile pharmacy.
Mountain Area Health Education Center, or MAHEC, will have an operational mobile pharmacy starting this fall, Matthew Ransom, MAHEC's chair of the Department of Pharmacy, told the Citizen Times Aug. 13.
"We have such a big focus on access to medication for uninsured and low income patients. It's integrated into all the services that we already provide," Ransom said, adding that the mobile pharmacy is "a natural next step."
The vehicle that houses the mobile pharmacy cost around $250,000 and was paid for by donors, Ransom said.
TJ Lee, MAHEC's mobile pharmacy manager, told the Citizen Times
that he is hoping the mobile pharmacy will be operational in October.
"It's almost there. We're waiting on some final steps," he said.
The mobile pharmacy will offer services at six rural clinics across Western North Carolina: the MAHEC Health Center at Newbridge; the MAHEC Family Health Center at Cane Creek; the MAHEC Health Center at Cullowhee; and clinics in Franklin and Brevard.
The mobile pharmacy will have a healthcare provider present who can see patients, administer vaccinations, and test patients for illnesses like COVID-19, strep throat, and influenza. Medications will also be available at a discount.
MAHEC, which was founded in 1974, offers a wide spectrum of medical care, including pediatric services, psychiatry, women's healthcare and dentistry.
One area MAHEC workers are watching closely is a possible increase in need related to changes in Medicaid eligibility, which will take effect in the beginning of 2027.
In the early months of 2027, medical providers at MAHEC will start seeing what that increased need could look like, and they're hoping the mobile pharmacy will help them meet that need, Ransom said.
"Our goal is to provide to the underserved, the uninsured," Lee added.
Kara Fohner is the Public Safety Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email her at kfohner@usatodayco.com or call her at 980-241-8671.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: MAHEC mobile pharmacy to reach rural communities
