Montel Williams was greeted by a crowd of nearly 650 people during a recent visit to USA Medical Center on his "Help is Here Express" national bus tour. This tour is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a program helping under-insured Americans find resources that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. Williams, an Emmy-winning syndicated talk show host, author and motivational speaker serves as the national spokesman for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance.

The "Help is Here Express" is staffed by trained specialists able to quickly help under-insured patients access more than 475 patient assistance programs, which include more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Nationwide, this program has helped more than 4 million patients, including over 91,000 in Alabama.

Patients in need can visit PPA's easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or call the toll-free phone number (1-888-4PPA-NOW). Trained operators will be available to field calls in more than 150 languages.