Virginia Health Care Foundation

VHCF’s You “ Rx“ceptional Award recognizes stellar results in addressing the medication needs of uninsured Virginians. The award is bestowed by VHCF each year to an individual or team who has provided excellent service, commitment, and dedication to a medication assistance program and its patients/clients.

2024

Crystal Nisly, CPhT
Medication Assistance Caseworker
Orange County Free Clinic (Orange)

When Crystal talks about the Orange County Free Clinic’s medication assistance program, she comes alive! Her organizational skills, persistence, and dedication to making it an efficient, patient-centered operation are evident. During the 12 years she’s been there, she’s obtained 12,000+ chronic disease medicines with a value of $17+ million for the clinic’s patients.

Crystal works long hours, including evenings and weekends, and obtained training and certification as a pharmacy technician six years ago to better enable her to serve her patients. On top of that, Crystal is bilingual and a trusted advocate and resource for the area’s Spanish-speaking community. She is also a mentor to other medication assistance caseworkers throughout the state.

Crystal’s dedication and diligence inspire those around her and have made significant improvements in the lives of more than 2,000 clinic patients over the years!

2022 

Virginia Robinson is the leader and sole employee of CVHS’s medication assistance program that serves uninsured patients from its 20 different medical practices that span from Charlotte County to Fredericksburg. During her seven-year tenure, she has completely revamped and centralized the program. The combination of Virginia’s program improvements, compassion for patients, and the trust and confidence she has inspired among the 50 providers within those practices is the reason the program is one of the most successful in the state.
Virginia has helped 2,810 uninsured patients fill more than 16,000 free prescriptions over the past seven years, including during the pandemic. The value of those medicines is more than $28 million at the average wholesale price, but the biggest value is in the difference it has made for her patients.

2019

In memory of Juliet Tinsley

This award is given in memory of Juliet Tinsley, who for 19 years led the development and evolution of The Pharmacy Connection (TPC), VHCF‘s software that expedites access to free and greatly discounted prescription medicines. Juliet succumbed to breast cancer in January 2019, but her legacy lives in the tens of thousands of uninsured Virginians and residents of 15 other states whose chronic diseases have been treated with medicines obtained via TPC.

2018

Jeanne Kidwell has been the Fauquier Free Clinic’s dedicated Medication Coordinator for 13 years.  She has single-handedly met the needs of the ever-growing number of patients and the ever-changing landscape of Patient Assistance Programs. Last year, she processed more than 16,000 prescriptions. Jeanne is the ultimate patient advocate, driven by her care, concern and compassion for each patient.

2017

At the 2017 25^th Anniversary Heroes in Health Care awards, the following MACs were honored.  Watch their videos and you’ll understand why their efforts were so deserving of recognition.

2016

Katherine Carmon is the quintessential Patient Advocate. Every day, she devotes herself to helping patients from 100 physicians’ offices across the state apply for free medicines from the brandname pharmaceutical companies’ Patient Assistance Programs. Even though her work is done by phone, Katherine’s patients feel like she knows them, and they praise her compassion and diligence. Her organizational skills and experience have enabled her to continuously expand. Last year, she helped 600 patients with chronic illnesses fill 2,628 needed prescriptions worth $4.1 million – free of charge.

2015

In any given year, Debbie Davis with Central Virginia Health Services helps four times more uninsured patients obtain free medicines than the average medication caseworker. This amounted to 1,450 patients in 2014. She’s a whiz at completing applications and working with the drug companies Patient Assistance Programs. Debbie also coordinates medication caseworkers at six other sites. Their combined work produced $10.3 million in free chronic disease medicines for 2,642 uninsured patients in 2014.

2013

Jeannette Holmes, last year, helped 500 patients fill more than 2000 prescriptions valued at over $3.2 million. She travels between four free clinics and private medical practices with large numbers of uninsured patients to help them complete their PAP applications.  Without her diligent efforts, a large number of patients in Virginia’s middle peninsula would be unable to receive desperately needed medicine. Jeannette Holmes works for Tri-County RxAssist.

Last Updated on June 6, 2024