LITTLE VALLEY -During the first eight weeks since the introduction of the Cattaraugus County free prescription drug discount program, county residents filled 110 prescriptions with the cards at discounts averaging 32 percent and $19 for each prescription, Cherianne Wold announced this week.

Cattaraugus County launched the program to help consumers cope with the high price of prescription drugs. The county is making the free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) that offers savings of approximately 22 percent to 32 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.

County residents seem to be under-utilizing this great service so far. It is hoped that numbers will increase as more people become aware of the savings. Best of all, there is no cost to county taxpayers for NACo and Cattaraugus County to make these money-saving cards available to our residents.

The cards may be used by all county residents, regardless of age, income, or existing health coverage, and are accepted at 21 county pharmacies. A national network of more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies also honors the NACo prescription drug discount card.

Cards are available at the Cattaraugus County Department of the Aging, Department of Health, Department of Social Services, Olean Medical Group, Olean General Hospital, and the Medical Arts Building in Olean. Cards are also available the following pharmacies throughout the county: Corner Drug Store in Cattaraugus, Bartholomew's Pharmacy in Franklinville, Frewsburg Pharmacy in Frewsburg, Gowanda Pharmacy and Rite Aid Pharmacy in Gowanda, Inkley Pharmacy in Randolph, South Dayton Pharmacy in South Dayton, and Walgreen's and Rite Aid Pharmacy in Yorkshire. In Salamanca, cards are available at the Lionel R. John Health Center, Native Pharmaceutical Direct, Park Pharmacy, and Rite Aid Pharmacy. In Olean, the discount cards are available at CVS Pharmacy, Dan Horn Pharmacy, K-Mart Pharmacy, Prizel's Pharmacy, Rite Aid Pharmacy, TOPS Pharmacy, Vic Vena Pharmacy, and Wal-Mart Pharmacy.

County residents may also call toll-free 1-877-321-2652 or visit www.caremark.com/naco for assistance with the program.

"Using the NACo prescription discount card is easy," said Cherianne Wold. "Simply present it at a participating pharmacy. There is no enrollment form, no membership fee, and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use. Cardholders and their family members may use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance."

The program is administered by CVS Caremark.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation's 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.