Lauren Daniel tried to pick up her mental health prescription at Walgreens. But it didn’t take her Medicaid plan. Staring down a hefty copay, she told the pharmacist, “Put it back on the shelf.”
The 35-year-old Indianapolis woman went to CVS for a while. But she said the store was weeks behind on filing her script for an antipsychotic medication — essential for managing her bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. She had a panic attack while waiting.
“Pharmacies are overwhelmed, and we suffer,” Daniel said.
Then, a new pharmacy opened Monday, Jan. 15, at the Jane Pauley Community Health Center on 5317 E. 16th St. On her first visit that Friday, Daniel was in and out, medication in hand, in less than 10 minutes.
“I was so overly excited,” Daniel said. “Just knowing I can go to the doctor and he’ll send the prescription to the same building is a breath of fresh air.”
Daniel is one of 26,000 people served by Jane Pauley, a federally qualified health center with six locations in Indianapolis. Patients who are uninsured or underinsured can get primary, dental and behavioral care — and now their medications — using a sliding fee scale based on their income and household size.
Mirror Indy previously reported that at least 20 pharmacies in Indianapolis have closed since 2020. Residents across the city have been frustrated by long wait times and staffing shortages at remaining locations. The majority of closures were corporate chains, such as CVS and Walgreens.
What makes Jane Pauley’s pharmacy different, said director Aaron Knapp, is its model. It is open to anyone and takes all forms of Medicaid. The location also participates in the federal 340B program, which reduces prescription prices.
“We are taking care of people regardless of their ability to pay,” Knapp said. “We don’t have a corporate profit goal to meet.”
During opening week, the pharmacy filled at least 175 prescriptions. But Knapp said his team is still trying to get the word out to residents about what the location offers, including language translation services.
A patient who didn’t speak English came in to pick up antibiotics on a recent Friday. Staff directed her to the green kiosk, which looped in a live Spanish interpreter. The service works in 170 different languages, including Haitian and Creole, which are spoken by some people living on the east side.
The pharmacy, which also offers vaccinations and pet prescriptions, is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prescription delivery services will be available at all Jane Pauley centers by March.
Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.
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