Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth, of the St. Dominic Foundation, leaves the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy after a tour following the blessing and dedication ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayAttendees tour the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy following the blessing and dedication ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayThe St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy is seen following the blessing and dedication ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayAttendees tour the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy following the blessing and dedication ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayBishop Joseph Kopacz, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and a member of the St. Dominic Health Pastoral Care Team, prays during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySister Dorothea Sondgeroth, of the St. Dominic Foundation, delivers the invocation during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySteve Shackleford speaks during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayJoe Rice, right, a board member of the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, speaks during the blessing and dedication ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayBishop Joseph Kopacz, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and a member of the St. Dominic Health Pastoral Care Team, prays during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayAttendees bow their heads in prayer during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySister Ann Elizabeth, a chaplain with St. Dominic Health, prepares to pray during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySamuel Burke, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, speaks during the blessing and dedication ceremony in Jackson, Miss, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayJeremy Tinnerello, president of St. Dominic Health, speaks during the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayBishop Joseph Kopacz, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and a member of the St. Dominic Health Pastoral Care Team, center, closes his eyes during a prayer at the blessing and dedication ceremony for the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
A new pharmacy in Jackson will distribute medication to patients free of charge.
The St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy – a “pharmacy of last resort” – provides free prescription services and wellness education to Mississippians who can not afford their medications.
“We are here for individuals that have exhausted all available means to get their prescription medicine on their own,” said executive director Samuel Burke at the pharmacy’s dedication Wednesday.
The pharmacy will operate as a partnership between St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, St. Dominic Health and Stewpot Community Services, a homeless shelter and social service organization in downtown Jackson.
It is the pharmacy’s third site in the state, joining locations in Hattiesburg and Biloxi. The organization chose to open the Jackson location due to the capital city’s high poverty rates, Burke said.
The pharmacy, which is licensed by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy and operates like any other retail pharmacy, distributes generic medications included on its formulary free of charge to patients. All staff members, including the pharmacist, are volunteers.
Most medications are purchased wholesale with the support of donations.
“I tell folks all the time I have a terrible business model,” said Burke. “I raise money, I buy medicines, I give it away and then I do it all over again. But that’s what we’re here (for) and we’re called to do.”
The pharmacy also distributes unused prescriptions from nursing homes that would otherwise be destroyed, which is allowed by state law. The pharmacy currently has partnerships with four nursing facilities and expects this number to grow.
Individuals can be referred by clinics, the emergency room or their doctor or can ask for their prescription to be sent directly to the pharmacy without a referral. To receive continued assistance, clients must undergo an eligibility screening process.
A free shuttle runs to the pharmacy Thursdays from Sister Trinita Community Clinic in downtown Jackson, which provides primary care health services to low-income families and homeless individuals.
Burke said St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy is the only multi-facility storefront charity pharmacy that allows patients to receive recurring services in the state.
The need for such services is great, he said, because many Mississippians struggle to afford their prescriptions or choose between paying for their prescriptions and other important expenses.
“We all know that we could open five, 10, 16, however many more, and there would still be a need,” Burke said.
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