Faces of 340B

Jack Custalow, Richmond, VA

In October 2011, Jack Custalow started having trouble sleeping. He couldn’t breathe very well and went to nearby VCU Medical Center for treatment. Doctors there quickly diagnosed an enlarged heart due to a defective valve. It looked possible Jack might need a heart transplant. He was unemployed, uninsured and “in a terrible way.” “Thank God for the Virginia Coordinated Care Program,” he says. The hospital uses 340B savings to help fund VCC which provides a medical home for indigent and low-income patients. Surgeons repaired Jack’s heart valve and the hospital provided him with cardio rehab services – all for free. Custalow now takes a blood thinner that costs just $4, thanks to the 340B program, and gets his blood checked once a month. “If it wasn’t for VCC, I couldn’t afford to go down there,” he says. Jack’s health has improved dramatically and now he does yard work and takes care of his elderly parents. “I feel good. I do 100 push-ups a day,” Jack says.