Opinion
www.SanTanSun.com
August 3 – 16, 2013
Community Commentary
Publisher’s Note
Health Connect drug cards help save community $100K
Where in the world? With SanTan Sunarea children back in school already, summer vacations are mostly just a fond memory. For those of you who were able to get out of the desert heat, Laurie Fagen were you part of the Photo by Zonie migration to LightRainImages.com San Diego for surf, sun, SeaWorld and other Southern California attractions? For Geoff, Devon and me, one of our preferred places was Paradise Point, just a few minutes from the whales and dolphins, with great sand, lots of shells and a very peaceful time. Or maybe you hit the high seas and took a family friendly cruise? We have great photos and recall wonderful times sailing Alaska’s Inside Passage and to Mexico, to mention a couple. While just about any place is cooler than Chandler in June and July, the Midwest can be muggy and humid. However, this year I managed to arrange for lovely temperatures in Chicago and Iowa City this summer, much to the delight of my dear Illinois and Iowa friends. We took in the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest in Davenport; the Iowa City Jazz Fest, where I also reconnected with a high school chum whose son was playing there, and whose dad was our jazz band leader; took in a Second City comedy show; got to see a sneak preview of “The Newsroom” prior to its nationwide season premiere; toured Lake Michigan on a water taxi; and just relaxed and ate way too much good food. Prior to that trip, it was a spa girls weekend in Los Angeles, which also included a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art or MOCA, and an audio tour of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, part of the amazing Frank Gehrydesigned Los Angeles Music Center.
It’s been a summer of travel for me, with a trip to Charlotte to see a long-time girlfriend from our Iowa hometown; and an almost two-week stay in the Hawaiian islands, where I met my Chicago friends for a week on Maui, then took another few days by myself to enjoy Poipu Beach on Kauai, one of Geoff’s and my absolute favorite places. I wrapped up that trip in Honolulu and had lunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, where Geoff and I honeymooned more than 25 years ago. But now I’m back for the foreseeable future. Other than a short jaunt to Tahoe with girlfriends later this month and a polymer clay cruise to the Caribbean in October, I will be trying to figure out what my “new normal” is going to be without my beloved Geoffrey. It’s hard to believe it’s been five months this weekend since he passed away of recurrent pancreatic cancer. It’s been tough without him, but thank goodness for my wonderful family, friends, former SanTan Sun News colleagues and neighbors who have been there for me all along. I have been grateful not to have the daily deadlines of the newspaper, and the SanTan Sun News team has been doing a solid job of continuing to produce this paper you have in your hands or are reading online. As always, thanks for reading the “relentlessly local coverage” of our beautiful neighborhoods, and for supporting all the wonderful businesses who make this publication possible.
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FOR THE AUG. 17, 2013 ISSUE
35,000 Total Circulation 27,250+ Driveways
BY MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY
Just about a year ago we launched a new program as part of my Health Connect initiative that has become a great benefit to Chandler residents who may lack basic health insurance for drug prescriptions. Working with Coast2CoastRX, users of the program are experiencing a welcomed break on prescription prices, while bringing some revenue back to the city’s general fund. Here is what we have experienced through the first year of the program: • More than 400 residents have used the program.
• 2,925 prescriptions have been filled since the start of the program. • Card users have experienced an average discount of 59% on filled prescriptions. • Card users have saved nearly $133,000 since the program was launched. This was a large part of my motivation for developing Health Connect, my initiative for a healthier Chandler. Health Connect is a three-pronged approach to promote financial, physical and mental health through a community-wide awareness campaign. You can find out more about my Health initiative by visiting chandleraz.gov/ connect. This is also where you can download a free prescription drug card for your personal use. Cards are also available at a number of city facilities throughout the community. A list is available at the website. As you can see by the numbers, these cards have become a great relief to many of our citizens who need extra help with their health care costs. Additionally, the contract with the vendor, Coast2Coast RX, provides the city with a small reimbursement on each prescription filled. Most importantly, no public dollars have been spent to put this program in place. While these continue to be somewhat stressful times, the drug card component of Health Connect is bringing some financial comfort to those who need the extra help. Health Connect will continue to grow and develop over time— with your help. In the next few weeks, I will reach out to the business community to forge new partnerships under this initiative. And apart from a number of events we hold annually to promote fitness, I want the Chandler community to be a part of Health Connect. Tips on fitness, well-being and nutrition are all welcome to continue and grow this new “healthy community” dynamic. Please send your thoughts and comments to me at jay. tibshraeny@chandleraz.gov. I look forward to hearing from you. You can also follow me on Twitter @jaytibshraeny where I provide tips on stress and mental health each Monday. Stay healthy Chandler!
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August 3 – 16, 2013
Opinion
www.SanTanSun.com