◆ Medication donation puts unused prescription drugs to good use.

Provided by the Wyoming Department of Health

The Wyoming Medication Donation Program (WMDP) reduces medication waste and improves prescription access for low-income Wyoming residents who lack adequate prescription insurance coverage.

The WMDP is a mail-order pharmacy that uses donated medications to fill prescriptions for eligible patients at no cost to recipients.

Why is it Important?
Health
• Medication compliance is one of the most important modifiable factors in the managing of chronic or complex diseases to improve health.
• The WMDP is connecting with providers around the state to refer patients which improved prescription access for those in need.
• Since beginning in 2007, the program has helped Wyoming residents fill OVER 150,000 prescriptions (worth over $25 million) they could not have afforded otherwise.
• In 2019, WMDP filled nearly 10,000 prescriptions with donated medicine free of charge for qualified patients.

Pollution
• Keeping medications from polluting our streams and landfills supports Wyoming population health as a whole.
• Since 2009, nearly 20,000 pounds of unacceptable medications have been safely incinerated.
• Since July 2008, the program has processed over 88,000 pounds of donated medications and medical supplies for redistribution.

Risk
• Removing unused medications from homes reduces the risk of accidental poisonings and drug abuse.
• More than 66,000 young children visit Emergency Rooms each year because of medication poisonings.
• Donating your unused medications helps reduce the risk of poisonings in your home, keeping the ones you love safe.

Background
In 2005 the Drug Donation Program Act was passed by the Wyoming Legislature allowing unused medications to be donated to participating donation sites to be dispensed to Wyoming residents who cannot afford their medications. The Wyoming Department of Health, Division of Healthcare Financing coordinates this program.

For more information, visit: health.wyo.gov/healthcarefin/medicationdonation/.