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REMER - Reno Wells, health, human and veterans services director Reno Wells reported Tuesday 1,050 Cass residents have saved $169,092.55 on prescription drug cost since the county initiated a discount drug card program.

This is an average savings of 66 percent over retail costs, he said.

The TWRx drug cards are available to any county resident and accepted at most pharmacies within and adjacent to Cass County.

Cards are available from health, human and veterans services in Walker, at some pharmacies, can be printed off the website www.mytwrxcare.com or by calling TWRx at (888) 844-7713.

Using the cards is most beneficial to people without prescription drug insurance coverage or for people who are underinsured, Wells said.

Purchases made with the card do not count toward a deductible on an insurance program, nor do they count toward a senior citizen expense calculation toward the donut hole in Medicare Part D insurance, Wells warned.

Kathy Ramos, veterans service officer, reported to the board the week she spent in Mississippi helping to re-integrate returning veterans was educational for her. She said most of the returning veterans she screened did report having a job or school enrollment to return to. Most were Minnesota residents.[[In-content Ad]]

She and other veterans officers filled out a form on each veteran they interviewed that will be sent back to their home community for further follow-up in 90 days and again in six months to help them connect with veteran services in their home area.

Her team processed over 500 returning veterans in five days.

The county board voted to install a veterans sign similar to handicapped space signs on one parking space each in parking lots at the health, human and veterans services building, the courthouse, the county highway garage at Walker and at the land department building in Backus.

Though the standard-issue signs say for vehicles with Minnesota veteran license plates, any veteran can park - in these spaces, Ramos said.

The board voted to streamline the annual processing of 189 contracts the county signs with contract services providers. Under the contracts, the county makes an agreement with providers to offer services to the public at a set rate.

The county will develop a standard contract form, then process those under the consent agenda in the future, rather than acting on each contract individually.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.

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