Saint Francis Hospital launched a program offering free prescription medications to uninsured, low-income, and chronically ill patients in Hartford through a partnership with nonprofit Dispensary of Hope.

Medications will be dispensed through the SaintFrancisRx pharmacy at Saint Francis Hospital, with eligible patients also able to receive medications through the Meds to Beds program, which fills discharge prescriptions and delivers them to the bedside before patients leave the hospital. The initiative is part of the hospital's efforts to integrate clinical and social care, using health-related social needs screening to connect patients with resources addressing barriers to care.

Robert Roose, MD, MPH, President, Acute Care, Trinity Health Of New England, said, "A key component of our Mission and one of our Core Values is a commitment to those experiencing poverty. Through this partnership with Dispensary of Hope, we are further supporting our patients at critical moments by reducing financial stress and actively removing barriers that often lead to delayed care, unfilled prescriptions and preventable complications."

To be eligible, patients must be uninsured or have insurance without prescription coverage, at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, and not covered under government-sponsored insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid, or VA benefits.

Dispensary of Hope coordinates with pharmaceutical manufacturers to distribute donated medications through more than 340 partner sites nationwide, filling 1.4 million prescriptions for 197,000 patients in fiscal year 2026 and delivering more than 3,800 prescriptions daily to uninsured and low-income individuals.

Interested patients can speak with their physician, pharmacist, or Community Health Worker about completing an eligibility assessment.