Forum About Prescription Drug Affordability Board Planned For Howard County Sept. 20

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition will host a series of 10 community forums around the state to update the community about the progress of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board and to hear from residents about their continuing struggles to pay high drug costs.

These listening sessions will feature remarks from local leaders, the PDAB executive director and key stakeholders. Each session will begin with remarks from panelists, followed by an opportunity for questions from the audience and members of the media.

These forums will focus on highlighting the board’s work to date and sharing updates on federal action, along with gathering input from consumers and elevating patient stories.

Forums are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.: Howard County Forum
Howard County 50+ Center, 6540 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD 21075
Speakers:
o Howard County Executive Calvin Ball
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 11: a.m.: Montgomery County Forum
Leisure World
Speakers:
o Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11:00 a.m.: Prince George’s County Forum
Riderwood Senior Living Community, 3140 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904
Speakers:
o Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks
o Maryland State Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Chair, House Committee on Health and Government Operations
o Maryland State Delegate Bonnie L. Cullison, Vice-Chair, House Committee on Health and Government Operations
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Saturday, Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m.: Frederick County Forum with the Asian American Center of Frederick
Frederick High School, 650 Carroll Pkwy, Frederick, MD 21701
Speakers:
o Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Larry Zarzecki, AARP Maryland
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 11:00 a.m.: Eastern Shore Forum (Salisbury)
MAC 909 Progress Circle, Salisbury, MD 21804
Speakers:
o Maryland State Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Larry Zarzecki, AARP Maryland
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Thursday, Oct. 12, noon: Hagerstown Forum
Hagerstown Library 100 S Potomac St, Hagerstown, MD 21740\
Speakers:
o Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Larry Zarzecki, AARP Maryland
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.: Anne Arundel County Forum
Annapolis Senior Center, 119 S Villa Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401
Speakers:
o Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.: Charles County Forum
Waldorf Senior Center, 90 Post Office Road, Waldorf, MD 20602
Speakers:
o Reuben Collins, President, Charles County Board of Commissioners
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Larry Zarzecki, AARP Maryland
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m.: Baltimore City Forum
Waxter Center, 1000 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Speakers:
o Mayor Brandon Scott
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

Friday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m.: Baltimore County Forum
Liberty Senior Center, 3525 Resource Drive, Randallstown, MD 21133
Speakers:
o Johnny Olszewski, Baltimore County Executive
o Brooke Lierman, Maryland Comptroller
o Delegate Adrienne Jones, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
o Andrew York, Executive Director, Prescription Drug Affordability Board
o Jim Gutman, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member
o Rev. Dr. Sandra Conner, President, Baptist Ministers’ Night Conference of Baltimore & Vicinity

"The board has been working hard, and we’re excited to meet with the public to update the community about the progress we’ve made,” said Board Executive Director Andrew York. “We need to hear from folks how they’ve been affected so we can make sure we enact policies that meet the needs of Marylanders.”

“We need to hear firsthand from Marylanders about their experiences with the cost of prescription medications, ” added Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition. “Hearing stories of real people will help the board develop strategies to bring down drug costs, something that is urgently needed.”