Residents of Yellow Medicine County will become eligible to participate in a prescription drug discount program sponsored by the National Association of Counties, county administrator Ryan Krosch said Wednesday.
Krosch said the Yellow Medicine County Board voted to participate in the program at its regular meeting Tuesday. In the future, Yellow Medicine County Family Services will provide information on the discount program.
"It's aimed at the uninsured and underinsured," Krosch said. "There's no cost to the county to do this, and none to the residents."
The NACo drug discount card program gives discounts on prescription medications not covered by a person's insurance.
The cards would be available without charge to residents of the county, but could only be used in participating pharmacies, Krosch said, and only for prescriptions not covered by insurance or medical assistance.
"There is one pharmacy in Yellow Medicine County, in Canby," Krosch said, but the cards are accepted outside the county as well.
"There are some (participating pharmacies) in Marshall, in Chippewa County, in all the Wal-Marts."
The National Association of Counties contracts with pharmacy services company CVS Caremark for the discount program.
At Tuesday's meeting, the board also approved a detour agreement for upcoming highway construction on U.S. Highway 212 in Granite Falls, Krosch said.
"It's from the west junction of Highway 23 to two miles east of the east junction of 23," he said.
The detour would take traffic around an upcoming resurfacing project planned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Krosch said he did not have full details on the project, like when the detour would be placed, at this time. However, the project is listed among online bid advertisements on MnDOT's Web site.