The Prescription 4 Health program is being developed in conjunction with the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York (CHFWCNY) Health Leadership Fellows Program. A component of this fellowship program is the development of a sustainable project by teams of fellows to assist our community in the mission areas of the CHFWCNY which specifically target children of poverty and the frail elderly. This project is supported by funds provided from the CHFWCNY.

This specific program was developed with a focus on enhancing patient health literacy in the area of prescription and over-the-counter medications by simply changing how health care practitioners work with their patients in the clinic and community pharmacy. The project will provide health care practitioners with a set of tools they can utilize in assisting patients in the better use of their medicines in the clinic and in enhancing the continuity of this care from the clinic to the community pharmacy. These focus on 4 main questions that health care professionals can utilize in discussing medications with their patients. These questions include:

1. Why am I taking it?
2. How do I know it is working?
3. When and How Do I Take It?
4. Who do I ask if I have a question?