Central Ohio nonprofit’s ‘Farmacy in the City’ program in South Linden to combine diet, medicine

The nonprofit Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio (CPCO) will soon bring its “Farmacy in the City” program to a second site in Franklin County. The nonprofit is co-locating with Community Development for All People, to allow both a pharmacy and fresh food market to be available under the same roof, starting in spring 2021. Low-income residents in the county will be able to receive non-narcotic prescription medicine, pharmacy services, and healthy food at no cost. CPCO executive director Jennifer Seifert says, “We’re really excited now that when someone says, ‘I don’t know what to eat,’ we can bring some resources around them.” Since 2010, CPCO has distributed $50 million in pharmacy services and prescription medicine, and currently serves more than 60,000 Franklin County residents living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. CPCO pharmacists spend time with patients to understand their medical history, explain the effect of their prescribed medicines, and form an action plan, says development director Melanie Boyd. CPCO received a $1.5 million grant from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners in 2019, and identified South Linden as a place where the nonprofit could help the community see better health outcomes. Meanwhile, a $149,444 grant from the Connections for Cardiovascular Health Foundation through AstraZeneca allows CPCO patients to enroll in a program with an extensive library of resources, including self-monitoring tools and incentives, cooking classes, and meal-planning ideas.