Megan

Landau
COMM351
HealthWay Speech

I think we can all agree on one goal as citizens of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area: We want all of our neighbors to live happy and healthy lives. As the CEO of
HealthWay Pharmacies, I believe medicine holds the power to help us achieve this
goal.

Two of the most important groups in our community are our budding children and
the senior citizens who contributed to our city for many years. The state legislature
has proposed to cut the HealthWay Pharmacy prescription subsidies for these two
groups, but we strongly believe these programs must remain in place and thriving,
and we ask for your support. Without prescription subsidies, our city will not be
able to rise above poverty and senior citizens will struggle to keep themselves
healthy. While other community services might merely enhance the quality of life for
our community members, a lack of prescription services will subtract from many
aspects of life.

According to a report by the National Institutes of Health, our community will not be
able to rise above poverty without prescription subsidies for children of families
below the poverty level. The poverty rate in Washington, D.C. ranks third in the
nation at 19.9 percent.

While families who live below the poverty line struggle to make ends meet, their
children are at a higher risk for ailments that require prescriptions. Rather than
taking medications and feeling better quickly, these children spend a longer amount
of time at home sick. Being sick prevents them from gaining educations and
preparing for their futures.

In addition, when students are sick at home rather than in school, their parents
must stay home from work to be with them. In many cases, the livelihood of our
communitys impoverished families is based on hourly wages. Therefore, taking off
work to be home with sick children can have a severe impact on the lives of
Washingtons impoverished families.

Some of HealthWays urban retail stores receive up to 40 percent of their
prescription business from families receiving the child health subsidy. We need to
continue to provide subsidies to these families. Without subsidies, our communitys
advancement will face a halt.

In addition to cuts for childrens subsidies, the state legislature plans to cut
prescription subsidies for retired members of the D.C. Employees Association. Our
DCEA Mail-Meds program focuses 35 percent of its efforts on DCEA retirees. We
made a promise to help them receive the medical services they need while in
retirement, and we must uphold that promise.

Providing prescription subsidies to senior citizens is proactive. Providing subsidies

will help them tackle medical issues when they first arise. Providing subsidies will
help them to remain healthy for a long period of time. Our senior citizens served our
city for many years, and we owe it to them to keep them healthy.

The entire staff of HealthWay Pharmacies is motivated by the desire to help our
community advance, but cutting prescription subsidies will do just the opposite. Our
city should be known for advancing the lives of our citizens, not for holding them
back.

HealthWay Pharmacies is a leader in community involvement and convenience. We
tailor our programs specifically to the needs of our local residents, and this
commitment to our customers pays off. For example, in the first year of our DCEA
Mail-Meds partnership, the amount of prescriptions filled rose by 665 percent, while
the amount of customer service inquiries dropped by 78 percent. Of all DCEA
customers, 75 percent were either senior citizens or children of families below the
poverty level. The Mail-Meds program is flexible; it fits into all types of lifestyles. We
cannot take this service away from our customers.

We know that choosing where to cut our citys budget must be difficult. We are
advocates for the advancement of our community, and we stay up-to-date with
many community programs. We promise that if the state keeps our prescription

subsidies in place, we will help our senior citizens, impoverished children, and all
other customers to take advantage of all that the city has to offer.

Health is the precursor to all other aspects of life. Without good health, our
communitys impoverished children and senior citizens will lack the ability to use
many of our citys other services. We urge you to join us in protecting this essential
precursor to life.