Fox 4 News Spotlights Pharmacy of Grace’s New Shawnee Location

Shawnee, KS — Fox 4 News came out to visit Pharmacy of Grace’s brand new Shawnee location this week, and the story they told was one we know by heart: patients struggling to afford medications will often go without. Pharmacy of Grace is a lifeline to many of those patients, and now we’re expanding into Johnson County with our new Shawnee location.

Reporter Matt Stewart talked to patient Jeanette Heater and Pharmacy of Grace President and CEO Dr. Michael Fink to talk about what it means to have access to affordable medications when the alternative is simply going without.

The Real Cost of Unaffordable Medications
What Pharmacy of Grace does is remove the financial barrier that stands between a patient and the prescription their doctor wrote, because a prescription that never gets filled doesn’t help anyone.

As Michael shared during the segment, one patient came to us with a medication regimen that would have cost her $4,400 out of pocket. Unable to afford it, she was cycling in and out of the emergency room, losing her stability, her income, and her housing in the process. Once she could access her medications consistently and affordably, everything changed. She was able to hold a job. She was able to keep an apartment. She got her life back. That is what medication access actually means: a lifeline.

The most expensive medication in the world, as we often say, is the one that is never taken, because a patient couldn’t afford it, or because no one took the time to make sure they understood how to use it. At Pharmacy of Grace, we address both of those barriers every single day.

A New Home in Johnson County
The Fox 4 segment highlighted what makes the Shawnee location so significant for this community. Johnson County is often perceived as an affluent area, but more than 31,000 residents are completely uninsured, and the neighborhoods surrounding our new pharmacy have some of the highest poverty and uninsured rates in the county. These are working families, seniors managing chronic conditions, and parents making impossible choices between groceries and prescriptions. Pharmacy of Grace wants to remove the cost barrier for these families.

Watch the Full Segment
We are grateful to Fox 4 News and reporter Matt Stewart for shining a light on this work, and a big thanks to patient Jeanette Heater for sharing her story so openly and generously.

Watch the full Fox 4 segment here.

And if you or someone you know could benefit from what we do, our Shawnee location is now open. Stop by and visit us! Our pharmacy is open to anyone in the community regardless of insurance status. Our Grace Meds program is for uninsured patients and based on income. Questions about eligibility? Give us a call and our staff will be happy to review your meds and insurance and see if you qualify.