(POLAND, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today delivered a check for $19,036 to the Pediatric Hospice Care Program of the Humility of Mary's Hospice of the Valley in Poland, Ohio.
"We are happy to provide these funds to the Pediatric Hospice Care Program," said Attorney General DeWine. "The assistance provided there is an inspiring example of compassionate care given to those in need."
The Hospice of the Valley Pediatric Program helps young patients who are terminally ill, regardless of ability to pay. It has the only inpatient hospice facility that provides care to pediatric patients in the Mahoning Valley.
The money will be used to purchase a crib and a rocking chair, and go toward the Hospice of the Valley's Children's Grief Camp. The remaining funds will be used for pediatric nurse training.
The important work of the Hospice of the Valley has been recognized before. In a 2005 federal fiscal appropriations bill, then-Sen. DeWine secured $700,000 for Hospice of the Valley's inpatient facility.
The disbursed funds represent the remainder of a $33 million multistate antitrust settlement with Organon, maker of the anti-depressant drug Remeron. The company agreed to settle in 2005 after it allegedly engaged in an effort to extend its monopoly of the drug and keep generic-equivalents off the market. This resulted in consumers allegedly paying more for Remeron than they might have paid for a generic-equivalent.
The settlement compensated consumers, governmental entities, and third-party payors nationwide. After all claims were settled, the court ordered that the remaining funds be deposited in each state's unclaimed property fund, or distributed to a charitable organization or state agency that provides health or legal services to consumers in their state. The funds distributed today represent the compilation of all un-cashed outstanding checks for the claims submitted by Ohio consumers.
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Media Contacts:
Lisa Hackley 614-466-3840
Mark Moretti 614-466-3840