BOCES receives $25,000 grant to investigate new service

Funded work will look at prescription drug-purchasing coalition

Capital Region BOCES has received a $25,000 grant to investigate if starting a coalition for districts and municipalities to purchase prescription drugs collectively would reduce those groups’ health care costs.

The New York Department of State grant will fund research into the topic, including surveying districts and municipalities to see if they would be interested in joining such a coalition, and calculating the specific cost savings that could result. Anticipated savings would come from BOCES administering prescription drug benefits, instead of a for-profit pharmacy management company.

The grant was written in collaboration with the Cobbleskill School District, and if the result of the research is positive, the partners plan to apply for an implementation grant from the New York Department of State. Dorothy Nolie, special project administrator, wrote the planning grant and is now leading the coalition research.

“With health care costs skyrocketing, we are curious to see if BOCES can help districts manage prescription drug costs,” said Mark Jones, assistant district superintendent for management services. “By receiving this grant, we can investigate that possibility with almost no cost to BOCES.”

If the research is positive, such a coalition could be started in the 2010-2011 school year.