Prescription Assistance Program Patient Advocates

“The PAP patient advocates lobby for patients to receive medication that would be an undue financial burden. This program is the difference between patients with little to no prescription drug coverage paying $800 for a refill or $0. Many of these patients are only able to afford and receive medication because of these Prescription Assistance Programs. When someone knocked on my office door with hope in their eyes, I was able to say ‘Yes, I will help you’ and get them the care they deserve. Together, we would navigate paperwork and policy changes until finally, we got the notice that they were approved for medication! It was incredibly rewarding to make such a direct impact on patients’ lives. I also picked up a lot of lessons that will help me as a provider. I gained familiarity with programs that could be a valuable avenue for my future patients to get affordable medication. Parsing the difference between insurance coverages taught me more about Medicare and Medicaid than I have ever absorbed from a lecture. Serving a multilingual population with the indispensable help of medical translators bolstered my confidence in my ability to communicate with people different from myself. This experience taught me to balance a community’s needs with my own capability and to make sure I was pouring from a full cup. Overall, the PAP and BTG reignited my interest in being involved in and serving my community as a doctor and citizen. There is a deep need in Philadelphia for affordable care. Though they should not have to, Philadelphians will go to great lengths to care for themselves and their family. This experience reminded me of my civic duty to be informed about my community and its struggles. No matter what discipline of medicine I pursue, I will look for ways to bridge those gaps to care and serve my community.”

Abigail Faust

“Being a patient advocate at the PAP office this summer has provided me with so many great lessons I plan to keep with me throughout my lifetime and the span of my career. This summer, I had the pleasure of helping patients navigate the complex healthcare system. My goal is still to be a lawyer in the health field, yet I was shown a new perspective of the field that I previously was not exposed to—the public health sector. Already, there are so many things I wish to accomplish in my career. I’ve always wanted to help people, and now this intersectionality is only fueling my desire to help those who need it the most. Although I’m still not entirely sure what route I want to take in the health field, I am now more aware of more problems that persist in our incredibly complicated healthcare system. Patients who need help and resources the most are usually the ones who receive little to no help at all. So many places and cities are underfunded, understaffed, yet are overflowing with patients. Not to mention, the cost of some life-saving medications is insane and unattainable for many low-income patients. I’m glad the work we have done this summer at the PAP office focused on closing those disparities, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure everyone in the U.S. has quality healthcare. After my time here at BTG, I intend to keep focusing on my law studies to know how to be an efficient and effective lawyer so that I can help those in need. I was also lucky enough to work on my advocation skills during my time as a patient advocate. I have no doubt that I will use these skills again as a lawyer in the health field. I’m honored to have had the chance to make a difference this summer, and I hope my career ahead allows me similar opportunities as well.”

Abby Narvaez