Ozanam News 4th Quarter 2013 Ozanam News | Page 11

From Incarceration to Gainful Employment with SVdP From SVDP Seattle King County Website One rainy day in February of 2013, Rusty knocked on the SVdP Council office main entrance door wanting to apply for work. A senior staff member reviewed his application and decided to give him an opportunity to work for St. Vincent de Paul. He was going to be a painter and all-purpose maintenance employee. Rusty had been incarcerated in Washington prisons eight different times for burglary and fraud between 1997 and 2010. When he came to SVdP, he was ready for work and that he had made a complete transformation from a life of crime and was excited about a “new opportunity.” His desire for change can be traced to his time in prison in solitary confinement, where he says he “talked with God and committed himself to wanting a simple and normal life.” He has been working at SVdP on a part time basis since that rainy day last winter. He has held as many as three jobs at one time, keeping up on his bills and being selfsufficient. His new lifestyle now revolves around his work, his three kids and two grandchildren, and his motorcycle. He has been a model employee. Rusty says that “St. Vincent de Paul has been good to me. It is a down to earth organization. I am thankful for their help.” SVdP Detroit Partners with Rx Outreach to Provide No-Cost Prescription Medication SVdP’s Archdiocesan Council of Detroit, in partnership with Rx Outreach, has launched a voucher prescription to make prescription medicines available to incomeeligible patients in need of chronic medication. Those individuals who are within 300 percent of the federal poverty level are given an authorized voucher form that they can take to their physician. With the physician’s prescription, this form is mailed to Rx Outreach for processing, and Rx Outreach will mail the medications directly to patients. Many people in southeast Michigan are hurting because of the high cost of prescription drugs,” said Bill Brazier, Executive Director of SVdP in Detroit. “We’re very pleased to help alleviate some of that need with this crucial program. We’re also asking eligible participants in the program for a voluntary commitment that will help move them toward a healthy lifestyle. This commitment is not a requirement to determine eligibility for the program, it simply helps promote better habits and choices.” medications regularly, discuss their diet, rest and exercise with their physician, and act daily on the advice that will enable them to live healthier lives. “Prescription drugs represent one of the highest out-ofpocket medical care costs forcing many people to sacrifice their health in order to cover basic everyday needs, such as food and utilities”, says Marsha England, Director-Client Services of Rx Outreach. “We are thrilled to partner with St. Vincent de Paul on this program. This is about helping people stay healthy, which is what Rx Outreach is all about.” Rx Outreach is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that has a fully automated mail order pharmacy which serves more than 85,000 patients annually, dispensing 1.3 million months of medication per year, saving patients more than $70 million. The voluntary commitment asks that patients take their It is not enough for me to love God if my neighbor does not love him. -St. Vincent de Paul 11