News Editor

Senior citizens in Pike County who qualify will soon be able to take advantage of assistance on the purchase of their prescription drugs, thanks to a program which some Alabama counties already have.

According to Hassie Green, the new director of the Troy Nutrition Center told the Troy City Council at their meeting Tuesday evening that the MedAssist Program will come to Pike County in six months. The program is already in place in Montgomery, Butler and Lowndes counties.

The MedAssist Program, in cooperation with client’s physicians, provides advocacy and assistance to eligible individuals to obtain free life-sustaining prescription medications through pharmaceutical company programs. There are no costs to the clients and the paperwork and time required of the physician is minimal.

To qualify an applicant must have not insurance coverage for prescription drugs and not be eligible for government programs which provide for prescription medication;

have and income at or below the current federal poverty level; and he or she must reside in the county participating in the program.

Green also updated the council on other programs and activities at the nutrition center, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Intervention Program, which offers services to families caring for individuals with the disease.

Green told council members that to qualify for the program seniors must be 60 years of age or older. She said no discrimination is made on the basis of income.

In other business, The Council President John Witherington presented the council and mayor with a proposal to draft an ordinance raising the license fees for adult video gaming arcades. During the work session that preceded the meeting, he said, "It is my feeling that these places are nothing more than a form of legalized gambling."

The mayor asked City Clerk Alton Starling to check and see if the council could suspend any decisions concerning the licensing of such facilities while the new ordinance was being drafted and considered by the council.