This is a call to action for our community, state and country. I’m asking that all of us come together and work toward the benefit of all and to protect our most vulnerable citizens.
The postal service has become a vital part of the US healthcare system. Disruptions to the U.S. Mail will create barriers to healthcare for those who depend on the Postal Service for their medications.
A recent national survey found that nearly 24% of their respondents depend on the mail for their medications during the pandemic. There is also evidence that postal service medication delivery improves adherence and lowers dispensing error rates, both critical to improving patient health results.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides 80 percent of outpatient prescriptions via mail-order pharmacy. A slowed system deprives the department’s ability to get medications to our nation’s veterans.
Despite the Postmaster General’s recent announcement to suspend the scaling back of USPS services, it doesn’t solve the problem of a system that lacks capacity now. Many elderly patients, as well as our vets, don’t have the luxury of time. The US Postal Service was not designed to be a profitable business. It was designed to be a “service” for all Americans to rely on. I share an appreciation for building more efficiency into mail delivery, but that’s not what’s happening here, and these changes are harming our families and our health.
Please contact members of Congress to demand USPS funding now, not later.
Jan Phillips
Durango, CO
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