We were distressed to read the May 10 letter "Why so few participate" from the man who sought help from the ChecKmeds NC program. No one at two local pharmacies he was referred to knew anything about this medicine-review program. Unfortunately, a shortage of pharmacists and an increasing volume of dispensing make it challenging to find pharmacists who can diversify their services.

Senior PHARMAssist is a nonprofit that has been providing medication-management services in Durham for 14 years. However, the ChecKmeds NC program has been our first opportunity for partial reimbursement. Other pharmacists (like the one we called to assist the letter-writer) are gearing up to meet the demand of an aging population.

Medication reviews are vital for older adults who have chronic health problems, who see multiple providers and who take multiple medications with no one knowing all of the medications they are taking. Drug interactions and drug-induced illnesses lead to unnecessary emergency department visits, hospital stays, nursing home admissions or worse.

We need to improve the referral process for ChecKmeds NC and find more pharmacists willing to put their clinical skills to practice. Appropriate medication therapy needs to be the standard of care in North Carolina.

Gina Upchurch

Executive director

Dr. Franc A. Barada Jr.

Board president, PHARMAssist

Durham