But I thought they NEVER did anything good…

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pills
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Even though there are millions of people here in the US that are able to live quality lives thanks to the many breakthrough medicines provided by the nation’s pharmaceutical companies, most of the time when we hear about them is when they are being railed against by some politician or special interest group. These "evil" drug companies offer nothing but pain and misery, if the detractors are to be believed. Never mind that, thanks to the free market system we enjoy in America, companies constantly strive to bring ever-improved products to market that make life better as time moves on, benefiting everybody. Nothing motivates like the profit incentive. "No," say those sworn to attack the industry’s players, "that would be greed." As a believer in the American system, this type of attitude offends me. Are there bad people? Of course. Bad companies? Of course. To paint an entire industry that provides many of the things people WANT as bad, whether the drug companies, oil & gas, or Wal Mart, is not right.
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The good news is that despite the naysayers, there are people, companies, and entire industries that really DO want to help people. They really DO engage in activities that are meant to help the less fortunate in our society. Here’s one example of something happening right here in our backyard in Central NH:

“Help Is Here Express” Bus Tour Coming to Laconia
To Help Patients in Need Access Prescription Medicines

Laconia, N.H. (Nov 5, 2007) – The “Help is Here Express” bus tour will be in Laconia today, stopping at American Legion Post #1, 849 North Main Street to help uninsured Americans find programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The bus tour is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a national effort sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies.  The PPA has helped more than 4.3 million patients, including more than 18,000 in New Hampshire.  Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA bus tour has visited all 50 states and more than 1,500 cities to raise awareness about patient assistance programs. 
The “Help is Here Express” is staffed by trained specialists able to quickly help low-income, uninsured or underinsured patients access more than 475 patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. When the “Help is Here Express” moves on, patients in need can visit PPA’s easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or call the toll-free phone number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) where trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages.
Terrible, isn’t it? How dare they do this– why this is HELPING people! This doesn’t fit the template! Exactly, which is the root of the problem when it comes to the typical anti-corporate, anti- business, anti-free market movements we find in today’s political landscape. Unfortunately, programs like the aforementioned one offered by the PPA get little to no attention by the mainstream media. But then again, whether it’s stuff like this, or success stories in the Iraqi front of the war, if it’s good news, it gets overlooked. Check out the rest of the details of the PPA’s "Help is Here Express" effort, which is a pretty neat thing they’ve got going:

Through the PPA, parents, guardians, healthcare providers and others can learn about public and private patient assistance programs – including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – that are available to help children in need.  America’s pharmaceutical research companies support the reauthorization of SCHIP, and more than 40 of the assistance programs through the PPA focus on the medication and healthcare needs of children. Through SCHIP, more than six million uninsured, low-income children today receive a wide range of health services, including regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, x-rays, hospital visits and more.  To help make it easier for parents to learn about these efforts, including SCHIP, the PPA has dedicated a new Web site, http://kids.pparx.org.  
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WHEN: Monday, November 5, 2007 @ 1 pm
WHERE: American Legion Post #1, 849 North Main Street
I’m going to drop by and check this out. I’ll update the post with some pics and anything else I discover. I’m all for helping people– especially when it comes from somewhere else BESIDES the government…

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