Red Bank, NJ: On February 23, the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy approved Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy as the first charitable pharmacy in the state. This critical step in the regulatory process clears the way for the charitable organization to begin dispensing medications free of charge to uninsured and underserved patients.
The organization intends to open in April at 224 Shrewsbury Avenue, Red Bank. In addition to dispensing free medications, the Pharmacy will serve as a hub for community partners to engage with those in need and provide peripheral social services. It will also work with local schools to provide immunizations to students.
“For years I assisted patients at my local pharmacies who could not afford their medications,” said founder Ritesh Shah. “It is now my pleasure to help guarantee that those in need will have blood pressure, diabetes, and other medications free of charge to help control and prevent chronic diseases.”
The Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy will focus on providing commonly used medications for chronic conditions, such as blood pressure and heart disease medications, diabetes, and mental health. medications. To qualify for the free medication, patients will need to be within 300% of the Federal poverty level.
Ritesh Shah, the founder of the charitable pharmacy, is a local pharmacy owner with five locations in Monmouth County. Always an active member of the community in Monmouth County, Shah recently suffered the loss of his baby sister, which encouraged him to launch this effort.
“I have been incredibly lucky in my life, from my family to my businesses. It is now time for me to give back, to help people right here in our community,” said Shah. “Every day I think about my incredible sister and how she was taken from us, and I will do everything I can to prevent that from happening to someone else in our community,” he added.
