The giveaway will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Halifax Community College in Building 400, Civic Room.
Identification will not be required to participate, but participants must be 18 or older.
"We are privileged to support the OTC Medicine Give Away Day as a part of our ongoing commitment to serving the Halifax County community," stated Elliot Clark, senior community executive with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare. “By collaborating with NC MedAssist, we can help provide medications to those in need and have the opportunity for people to speak with pharmacists all free of charge. We are also able to reach those individuals who are Medicaid eligible or uninsured that could benefit from the services that we provide in Halifax County and surrounding areas.”
OTC event organizers are expecting to serve at least 1,000 individuals. Each individual will receive $100 worth of OTC products which includes items such as allergy relief, pain relief, indigestion relief, cold medicine, first-aid and vitamins for all ages.
The OTC program is completely volunteer run.
“Serving 1,000 individuals in one day takes many hands to make sure the program runs smoothly and ensures that all participants are served before the door closes,” Clark said. “NC MedAssist is collaborating with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare and area safety-net organizations to recruit community members to serve in roles such as pharmacy consultation, client personal shoppers, and OTC sorters.”
Those interested in volunteering can sign up at www.medassist.org.
NC MedAssist’s overall goal is to help alleviate the strain on the healthcare system by providing medications to those who normally use the emergency room for reasons such as fever, minor pain relief and treating cold and flu symptoms.
“NC MedAssist is looking forward to hosting our first OTC event in Halifax County,” said NC MedAssist Executive Director Lori Giang. “There are over 10,000 people in Halifax County who may qualify for free prescription medications as well. We are thankful for our partner, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, for helping us to bring an OTC day to the Halifax community.”
Since its inception, NC MedAssist has distributed more than $3.9 million dollars of donated OTC medication to North Carolina individuals and clinic partners. For more information on the OTC Program and NC MedAssist, please visit www.medassist.org.
