Findlay teen takes action to expand Ohio’s Emergency Prescription Refill Law

FINDLAY, Ohio (WTVG) -From the gym floor to the pageant stage, Lilian Meienburg struts and strives to make a difference in everything that she does.

“I mean while we’re all on this earth why not do something with your time, something to better it, and to help others,” said Meienburg.

Lily is a varsity cheerleader, a pageant queen holding the title of USA National Miss Ohio Teen, and most importantly she’s an activist for those like herself living with type-1 diabetes. At the age of 15, the Findlay High School senior started her own diabetes foundation entitled: “Type Kind”.

“Type is for type-1 diabetes, and kind is about creating those respectful environments in schools,” said Meienburg. “I was bullied, I was harassed, and I actually moved schools because I didn’t have anybody to educate others so I had to do it myself.”

Meienburg founded the Type Kind Campaign to help youth struggling with bullying, and to also encourage awareness of type-1 diabetes as well other invisible disabilities. Lily says Type Kind is needed because “you never truly know what others are going through and we need to be inclusive and kind to all.”

This month Lily is marching for even more. Lily testified before the Statehouse Health Committee last week about the importance of expanding Ohio’s Emergency Prescription Refill Law.

“It’s to be able to let pharmacists write a prescription and fill a prescription that you’ve already had; Insulin, asthma medication, any chronic kind of medication that you already had a prescription for,” said Meienburg.

House Bill 37 is also called “Kevin’s Law,” named after Kevin Houdeshell an Ohio man with diabetes who died in 2014 when his prescription for insulin ran out and he was unable to reach his doctor for a refill.

In her testimony, Lily shared her own struggle.

“I went less than one day without insulin when I was 15 years old, 3 years ago,” said Meienburg. “I couldn’t keep water down and I was so dehydrated that my veins had collapsed. They had to go into my jugular line and my mother was told that if we would have waited 15 more minutes to come in my jugular vein would have collapsed, and I would have been dead.”

If expanded, Kevin’s Law would allow pharmacists the ability to refill prescriptions now up to 3 times a year without a doctor’s order. It would also cap the cost of emergency medications to make them more affordable to those in need.

The Findlay Trojan says she’s speaking out to make sure no one else’s life is threatened or lost by something that could easily be avoided.

“So this bill and having access for the pharmacists to be able to write that prescription is going to help so many people and that’s why I’m advocating so hard for it to pass,” said Meienburg.

The Ohio Statehouse is expected to vote on the bill later in this legislative session.

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