Helplines
Prescription Assistance
- Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). Information about a service that helps qualifying patients without prescription
drug coverage get the medicines they need free of charge or at discounted prices. PPA is sponsored by several pharmaceutical research companies. Telephone: (888) 477-2669.
- RxAssist: Patient Assistance Program Center. Information about free or low-cost medicine programs and ways to manage medication
costs. Includes contact information for patient-assistance programs and statewide
drug-assistance programs. RxAssist is part of the Center for Primary Care and Prevention at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.
- Together Rx Access. Information about a savings card for eligible individuals and families to receive a discount on prescription products. The Together Rx Access Card is sponsored by several pharmaceutical companies, and it is accepted at many pharmacies nationwide and in Puerto Rico.
- Note: Prescription assistance may also be available from your local government emergency services or health services program. The booklet Paying for Prescription Drugs (2010) describes assistance available in Washington state; similar assistance is available in other states.
Websites
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Medication Safety Program. Information about surveillance activities for adverse drug events and efforts to translate population-based surveillance data into evidence-based
policies and interventions. Includes journal articles for professionals and fact sheets, audio and video clips, and a
blog for families. Topics include adverse drug events in children and antibiotic resistance.
Medications and Pregnancy. Statistics, research information, articles, a fact sheet, and links to additional information about medication use in pregnancy.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Information for consumers, health professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry about drug development, approvals, safety, availability, regulations, and emergency preparedness. Resources include
Medicines in My Home. A multimedia educational program for teachers, students, and adults about how to choose over-the-counter medicines and use them safely.
ˇNunca Más! Novela Health Series. Four Spanish-language video novelas with information about the dangers of medication misuse and using medicines wisely.
Pregnancy Registries. Information for health professionals and pregnant women about studies that collect health information from women who take medicines or vaccines when they are pregnant and breastfeeding.
Safe Medication Use. A video clip and tips for families about safely using prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Includes a medicine recordkeeper in English, Spanish, Arabic, Polish, and 10 Asian and Pacific Islander languages; medication booklets; and fact sheets on topics such as antibiotic resistance and medicines and pregnancy.
- Motherisk. Evidence-based information for consumers and health professionals about the safety or risk of drugs, herbs, chemical exposures, and disease during preconception, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Also offers information about current clinical and laboratory research being conducted by Motherisk, a service of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.
- National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE). Information for consumers and health professionals about safe, appropriate medicine use. Includes information about medicines for children, women, Spanish speakers,
medicine users with
low literacy, and other special audiences. A companion website BeMedWise presents information about the safe use of over-the-counter medicines. NCPIE is a national coalition of over 125 organizations. Resources include
Medicine Safety: A Toolkit for Families. (2011).
- National Library of Medicine (NLM).
Developing and Using Medicines for Children. Information for researchers, health professionals, and parents about pediatric drug development; clinical trials; laws, policies, and regulations; and using medications safely in children.
Drug Information Portal. Information for health professionals, researchers, and consumers about more
than 23,000 drugs. Search by drug name or category.
MedlinePlus: Drug Safety. Information in English and Spanish about buying and using prescription and over-the-counter drugs safely.
MedlinePlus: Drugs, Supplements and Herbal Information. Information in English and Spanish about prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies.
- Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). Research information and fact sheets in English and Spanish about exposures to medications, herbal products, infections and vaccines, maternal medical conditions, illicit substances, and other common exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also see the OTIS helpline.
Related MCH Library Resources
- Asthma in Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Breastfeeding resource brief
- Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Diabetes in Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Health Insurance and Access to Care for Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief
- Preconception and Pregnancy knowledge path, family resource brief
Medications: Resource Brief, 2nd ed. (January 2012).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewer: Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.
