Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

AIM makes it a priority to take prescription meds to debriefs when we have someone from the States headed out to do your debrief. It is up to the Race to ensure their meds get to our debriefers before they leave for debriefs. We recognize how important it is for you to maintain your rx. We provide the helpful info below:

We recommend to World Racers that each of you taking prescription meds go online and check the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the meds you take. It should be on your rx container. If it is not, you can Google the name and it should come up with the pharmaceutical company info on it. It should also have a link saying something like “Need financial help with your prescriptions?”. Each major pharmaceutical company has what is called in the trade a PAP or Patient Assistance Program. Several pharmaceutical companies have a common online application for this. Other pharmaceutical companies have their own online application.

You need to:

  1. Download the application
  2. Complete the part for the patient
  3. Take it to the prescribing medical provider for her/him to complete. You may need to follow up with the provider to ensure it is completed in a timely manner.
  4. The medical provider is usually the one to send it in to the pharmaceutical company.
  5. You may need a letter from AIM stating you will be a volunteer on a year-long mission trip from XXX to YYY and will have no income during this time. Let us know and we can provide that letter.
  6. The pharmaceutical company reviews your application and either (a) approves, (b) needs more information, or (c) rarely denies.
  7. Once approved, usually a 90-day supply of the meds is mail ordered from the pharmaceutical company. They usually send you another form, once accepted, on which a hard copy of the prescription is attached. That rx is for a 90 supply at a time and has 4 refills (covering one year). The cover letter provided by your pharmaceutical company should provide that info to you, so that your prescribing provider completes the prescription correctly.Your pharmaceutical company may have a 60-day supply limit, but it is usually 90-days. You will have to provide a USA mailing address (family member usually).
  8. Once you learn the schedules for the longer debriefs when AIM personnel will be attending, you should have your family member (whoever is receiving the rx and monitoring any mail from the pharmaceutical company) contact AIM at 1-800-881-2461 ext. 273 (WR ext.) to make sure that the date is correct and that we are accepting meds to courier to your country. We should be able to provide a name and mailing address, as well as a deadline for us receiving that med. If the med is received after the deadline, then the AIM person has left for the debrief and your meds will be returned to the addressor. You are responsible to have them get the meds to us before the deadline we will provide, so they can be added to the suitcases being taken to country.

I strongly recommend that you talk with your prescribing medical provider about the once a year birth control, or one of the other (once monthly, etc.) possibilities. You should also discuss with the provider the possibility that your prescription might be offered in samples, given to the office by visiting pharmaceutical reps. If you are taking something now available in generic, it is unlikely that the reps will be taking that med to the office. They push new meds and trade (not yet generic) meds. YOU should take sufficient meds with you to cover an extra 14-30 days beyond what our debrief schedule suggests. There may be a time that due to circumstances beyond our control, that the expected debrief has to be moved to another location and date (political situation, loss of debrief housing, for example.)

At the end, you are responsible for working out a system that allows for you to get the meds as you need them. If you are keeping employer insurance via COBRA, than your contact person back home may need to go monthly to your pharmacy with your rx card and pick up what is needed and then ship it to AIM/the mailing address we provide BEFORE THE DEADLINE so that it gets to you. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND HAVING IT MAILED OVERSEAS. THIS CREATES A PROBLEM FOR WHOEVER IS ON THE GROUND THERE WITH CUSTOMS, VALUE, DUTY, OR NOT BEING THE PATIENT FOR WHOM THE MED IS PRESCRIBED. Further, there is a strong possibility that the meds will never get to the location.

You will be required to tell us what meds you are taking by name, dosage (how many mg or mcg, how often, and how you are having it supplied (PAP, rx card-insurance, self pay, etc,) and to provide us with the contact person and their info-phone, email, mailing address, fax.