• Prescription Access Program: Improving access to medication for the needy.

The Somali Community Access Network- SomaliCAN is a proud partner in Prescription Access, a program that gives access to medications for the needy. Until recently, Franklin County did not have a system of providing prescription medications to low income, uninsured individuals.  While many community agencies attempted to provide health care services to people who are unable to afford medical help, these programs were specific to disease states and often excluded large populations.  These fragmented and uncoordinated efforts often lead to costly duplication of services resulting in significant unmet community needs.

In response to this growing problem, more than 30 health and human service organizations joined together to leverage their resources on a system-wide basis to develop a comprehensive plan that would improve low-income patients' access to prescribed medications.  Under the administration of Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc., Prescription Access has developed mechanisms to reduce the financial burden social service agencies experience when supplying medications to the community's medically fragile populations.

For help accessing low cost prescriptions and affordable healthcare services, contact SomaliCAN at 614-781-1414.

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• Health Literacy and Prevention: Facilitating patient-provider communication.

The Healthcare program helps patients’ access healthcare services that they need. It also trains healthcare professionals on cultural diversity. The goal is to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers and reduce disparities in accessing and utilizing available resources.

The SomaliCAN Health Literacy Program is designed to improve patient-provider communication skills by increasing providers' awareness and knowledge of the three main factors contributing to unified health communication:

• Health literacy
• Cultural competency
• English language proficiency

The intent of developing better patient-provider communications is to prevent disease and make possible better health outcomes.

SomaliCAN provides cultural expertise to help providers to implement patient-centered communication practices that appropriately address patients with limited health literacy, to demonstrate cultural competency, and to address the needs of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP).