MADISON, Wis. — As the price tag keeps going up on a lot of daily necessities, including many medications people need to live, one pharmacy is filling as many prescriptions as it can for free.

What You Need To Know

  • The St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy is celebrating a decade of serving patients in need

  • To qualify, you must be 18 or older, uninsured and a resident of Dane County

  • You must also meet a certain income requirements

  • The pharmacy also accepts donations of medicines that are unexpired, properly labeled and stored, and untampered with

The Charitable Pharmacy of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Madison is celebrating a decade of serving patients in need.

Yolanda Tolson-Eveans said she always knew she wanted to make an impact in her role as a pharmacist. That’s why joining the team at the pharmacy was a no-brainer for her. She serves as St. Vincent de Paul’s managing pharmacist.

“I’ve always had a passion for helping folks, especially that are in need, but I got into pharmacy to help people,” she said.

Tolson-Eveans and her team fill prescriptions for low-income, uninsured adults at no cost to patients. They also offer COVID-19 vaccines to anyone 12 and older and try to educate and give guidance when it comes to health care.

“The medical system in general is just really hard to navigate,” Tolson-Eveans said. “I think even if you have insurance, it can be daunting. And so, it’s really nice to be able to kind of take a step back and really walk side by side with folks as we try to figure it out.”

Tolson-Eveans has been working at the pharmacy since it was first built into the basement of St. Vincent de Paul 10 years ago. It’s located inside the Middlecamp Center for Vincentian Charity, at 2033 Fish Hatchery Road. The organization even provides free rides to and from the pharmacy.

St. Vincent de Paul CEO and Executive Director Julie Bennett said it started from a need they saw in the community.

“We see people regularly who have a chronic medical condition,” she said. “Without insurance, they can’t manage their diabetes, or their heart disease, or their mental health diagnoses. Having this pharmacy available truly makes them able to live their lives.”

Within the past few years, as pandemic assistance ran out for many people and inflation increased, the pharmacy has seen more demand.

“The support has actually really diminished, and so now, the need is actually becoming greater than ever before,” Tolson-Eveans said.

With more University of Wisconsin pharmacy students volunteering their time to help at the Charitable Pharmacy, it’s hoping to expand its services.

“I think there’s no better place to help folks that are truly in need of help, and don’t have the means to get the care that they need,” Tolson-Eveans said.

To qualify for free prescriptions through St. Vincent de Paul’s Charitable Pharmacy, you must be 18 years or older, uninsured and a resident of Dane County. You must have a valid prescription from a doctor or medical provider, and you must meet a certain income requirement.

There’s also a way to help with this effort. The pharmacy accepts medicines that are unexpired, properly labeled and stored, and untampered with.

For more information on the Charitable Pharmacy, click here.

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