Prescription help for those in need

Millions of patients can't afford their prescriptions while billions of dollars of medications are wasted. The Dispensary of Hope uses these circumstances to provide poor and vulnerable individuals access to affordable medication. In fact, in 2010 they were a Social Innovation Awards winner for implementing groundbreaking strategies that drive social responsibility.

Medications are supplied to DOH by:

• healthcare providers donating their excess sample medications
• pharmaceutical manufacturers donating meds from their prescription assistance programs
• pharmaceutical distributors passing along excess inventory of short-dated supplies

Based on their income, patients can obtain medication for one year at a cost of only $30.00. Patients can get started by using the online Enrollment Packet. Healthcare providers can go to the DoH Donor Community webpage to become members of the donating community.

Dynamic online community for nurses

NurseTogether.com is one of the fastest growing, free, online professional communities for nurses. Specializing in unique nursing lifestyle, career and professional development information, NurseTogether’s mission is to empower the nursing community. The online information portal offers education and job resources, discussion boards, lifestyle articles, and volunteer opportunities for those in the nursing industry.  Launched in 2008, the free resource is a growing and dynamic online support network . In fact, over 200,000 visitors came to the site in March 2011 alone.

Fighting teen obesity

BodyWorks is a program designed to help parents of adolescents improve family eating and activity habits. Developed by the Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the program focuses on parents as role models. It provides hands-on tools to make small, specific behavior changes to prevent obesity and help maintain a healthy weight. The program, available in English and Spanish, includes one six-hour training module for trainers and ten 90-minute weekly sessions for parents and caregivers.

For more information about the BodyWorks program, becoming a trainer, or how to find a trainer in your community, please contact them at bodyworks@hagersharp.com.

Neurology videos

The American Academy of Neurology is offering free access to celebrity-hosted patient education videos on common neurological disorders. These include:

• Alzheimer's Disease, A Guide for Patients and Families hosted by Lea Thompson
• Living Well: A Guide to Managing Multiple Sclerosis for Patients and Families hosted by Teri Garr
• Parkinson's Disease: A Guide for Patients and Families Hollywood hosted by Holly Robinson Peete

All three programs include a downloadable guidebook and links to purchase copies of the programs.