Partnership for Prescription Assistance Celebrates Milestone Helping More Than 6 Million Uninsured Patients

After visiting more than 3,000 cities in all 50 states, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) has reached a historic milestone today by helping the six millionth person at an event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The PPA is a nationwide effort sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies that links uninsured and financially struggling Americans to programs that provide prescription medicine for free or nearly free. The help provided by the PPA is particularly important in these troubling economic times, when Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is 8.6% and residents are increasingly facing layoffs and the loss of health benefits. The PPA "Help is Here Express" bus tour stopped at the Capitol Building Complex on Commonwealth Avenue, joined by Super Bowl-winning running back, likely Hall-of-Famer and asthma patient Jerome Bettis. Bettis had a stellar career - first during four years at the University of Notre Dame and then 12 years in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The tenacity that he displayed on the field and in dealing with his asthma paid off, and in 2005 -- his final season in the NFL -- he helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a Super Bowl victory. However, despite his success in football, the chronic disease that Bettis calls his "toughest linebacker" still managed to knock him down occasionally. Full release.