Rx Response 'ready for action,' group says

WASHINGTON — An organization set up to provide pharmacy services in the wake of natural disasters is prepared for what experts predict will be a particularly bad hurricane season.

Rx Response said Thursday that its two main programs — Rx Open and Rx on the Run — was ready for action. The group is a coalition of drug makers, pharmacy retailers and others that this past year was deployed following Hurricane Sandy, mapping the status of more than 10,000 pharmacies across an 11-state area. The federal government's Climate Prediction Center has warned that 2013 will have an active or extremely active Atlantic hurricane season.

"Hurricanes can impact communities in many adverse ways, and one of the most serious impacts is when severe weather threatens access to medication," Rx Response director Erin Mullen said. "We urge citizens living in hurricane-prone areas to visit www.RxOpen.org after a storm hits to identify where they can get prescriptions filled. We also encourage citizens to be ready for this year's hurricane season by filling out an Rx on the Run prescription medication card today."