CMAP - Newsletters

Winter 2009 Newletter - CMAP Expands Across The State
People in the Cenla Medication Access Program (CMAP) use words like “blessing” and “life-saving” to describe how it has changed their lives. CMAP was developed and funded almost eight years ago by The Rapides Foundation.

Foundation President and CEO Joe Rosier says the program has served a total of 22,300 people across Central Louisiana since its inception. Currently, CMAP is helping more than 6,000 people get the free prescriptions they so desperately need to maintain their health.

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‘A Blessing’ For Some Residents
Since its inception in 2001, the Cenla Medication Access Program (CMAP) has helped thousands of Central Louisiana residents get prescription medications for chronic medical conditions. To people like Connie and Mike Couvillon of Sicily Island, CMAP turned their lives around by providing the medicine, education and tools they need to keep their diabetes under control. The Couvillons were living in Marrero when Hurricane Katrina hit, so they relocated to Sicily Island to live with Connie’s mother. They already were having a tough time paying for their diabetic supplies and other medications. So when Connie’s new doctor told her about CMAP, their lives changed overnight.

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Dying for Coverage in Louisiana
It is estimated that nearly two people die each day in Louisiana because they do not have health insurance. For the more than 47 million Americans who are uninsured, lack of health insurance can and does have dire consequences—medical debt, missed care, and even premature death. In 2006, there were nearly 2,107,000 people between the ages of 25 and 64 living in Louisiana. Of those, 26.2 percent were uninsured. Uninsured Louisianans are sicker and die sooner than their insured counterparts. The uninsured are less likely to seek care from a primary doctor outside the emergency room which is the highest cost of care within the health system. Also, the uninsured often go without health screenings and preventive care which could result in a disease or condition being caught early enough to control. All of us struggle with rising health care costs, but our neighbors who do not have access to health insurance can be subject to harsher – even fatal – consequences. During this election year, it’s time we put health care first.