Oct. 16, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc (NYSE: MHS) today announced the creation of the Medco Foundation -- a non-profit organization to support activities aimed at educating and informing the general public about health, wellness and medicine safety issues; providing low income, disadvantaged and other distressed populations and communities with access to medicine and information about medicine; and fostering and promoting opportunities for volunteerism and civic engagement.

In addition, the Medco Foundation today joined with the Entertainment Industry Foundation's iParticipate initiative to unveil the Foundation's "Give Health a Hand" program. This nationwide program provides individuals the opportunity to help others get healthy by closing the gaps in health care related to the inability to afford medicines or simply not knowing how certain drugs interact.

Give Health a Hand (www.givehealthahand.org) is focused on helping to care for those with chronic conditions and who are in financial need.

"Improving the health of our nation begins with each of us as individuals reaching out -- one person to another -- and that's the essential fabric of the Medco Foundation and the Give Health a Hand program," said Jay Silverstein, a director of the Medco Foundation. "Our vision for this initiative is to harness the spirit of giving and channel it towards the health and well-being of people in need."

Give Health a Hand will include three major components, each focused on closing particular gaps in care that plague the nation's health care system and impact the lives of millions of Americans. The Medco Foundation is exploring ways to facilitate the availability of generic medicines to those in communities in need.

The second component harnesses the power of volunteerism. As part of this initiative, the Foundation will solicit volunteers from Medco's staff of 22,000 employees nationwide, as well as enlist the support of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and citizens to help those most in need.

"The Medco Foundation is considering ways to collaborate with those on the front lines of health care - medical professionals in communities in need - to directly provide medicines to those in need and make valuable information available and accessible to them," said Silverstein.