Report shows United Way of NWLA and FamilyWize partnership helped 21,624 people.

People living in Northwest Louisiana saved $1,621,566 on prescription medications through United Way of Northwest Louisiana’s partnership with FamilyWize. The results were published in the annual Health Impact Report, a compendium of data refl ecting the health and fi nancial support offered by United Way and FamilyWize in its joint community initiatives across the country. “All too often we see families struggling to stay healthy due to the high cost of their prescription medications,” said Dr. Bruce Willson, president and CEO of United Way of Northwest Louisiana. “Partnering with FamilyWize has allowed us to offer resources to our community for improving their quality of life.” “The current U.S. health-care landscape remains diffi cult for millions of Americans to navigate, and rising prescription medication costs are causing many to sacrifi e health to afford other basic necessities,” said Dan Barnes, CEO and co-founder of FamilyWize. “With United Way, we are working towards a goal of helping even more families become educated on their options for fi nding cost-effi cient prescription medications.”

The FamilyWize program is free and saved participants an average of 41 percent off of their prescription medications during 2016. Accepted at most national pharmacies nationwide and covering all FDA-approved prescription medications, the FamilyWize card has no eligibility requirements and is available to anyone.

To sign up for the program, visit www.familywize.org, download the Android or Apple app, or print out the card. The card is also available at www. unitedwaynwla.org.