AACP Recognizes Four Student Programs for Community Service Efforts

The 2010-2011 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Student Community Engaged Service Award will be given to 4 student-led community engagement programs delivering patient education on proper medication use. The programs have been proven to expand access to affordable care and dramatically improve the public’s health, according to the AACP.

Teams from the University of Southern California, University of Colorado Denver, University of Missouri—Kansas City, and The University of Oklahoma will each receive the national award, which is sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, at the 2011 AACP Annual Meeting.

In addition to receiving a commemorative prize, the winning pharmacy colleges and schools will receive $10,000 to be used exclusively to support the expansion of the recognized program or new community engaged service projects at the school. Other prizes include a $5000 financial stipend administered to participating students to be used for enhancing or sustaining the recognized program or for travel support to attend and present their projects at professional meetings.

A student representative and faculty advisor from each of the following schools will be honored with a Steuben Glass Star Stream during the 2011 AACP Annual Meeting, which will be held July 9-13 at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

University of Southern California School of PharmacyTeam leader: Terrance Yu

Team members: Phuong Ho, Jennifer Fu, Tina Patel, Sana Vaiyani

Faculty advisor: Kathleen A. Johnson, Pharm.D., PhD

At the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy, student leaders have combined a number of patient‐centered community programs under one collaborative name: USC Volunteer Outreach Initiative & Community Education (VOICE) with the goal of identifying gaps in care and health education offerings. The two main components of VOICE are the pharmSC Clinic and SHARE (Students Helping and Receiving Education). VOICE’s pharmSC Clinic is located in a community pharmacy in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights, where many residents are among the underserved. Through school curriculum, student pharmacists are trained to provide primary and secondary preventative services, which include screening, counseling, vaccinating, and performing brown‐bag medication reviews. At the Weingart Center, a temporary housing facility, the VOICE SHARE program offers mental health and smoking cessation courses. SHARE also offers a series of classes that address issues such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

University of Colorado Denver School of PharmacyTeam leader: Monica E. Evans

Team members: Kristen M. Morrow, Heather N. Woodward

Faculty advisor: Gina D. Moore, PharmD

Serving The Underserved Health Initiative (STUHI) was created at the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy to help diminish health disparities within pharmacy practice by educating and providing access to care for underserved communities. The STUHI program is committed to community-engaged service learning through health fairs, including the Wellspring Community Church Health Fair, the Native American Cancer Research and Wellness Health Fair, and the Aurora Mall African American Health Fair and Patient Care Screenings.

Under the supervision of pharmacist preceptors and faculty advisors, students provide services such as screenings for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and early kidney disease, along with immunization promotion and medication disposal information. Students also provide patient education on disease awareness and positive lifestyle modifications, and answer questions related to prescription and nonprescription medications. The health fairs provide practical learning experiences to students as they gain valuable point-of-care service skills and first-hand intimate patient contact with underserved communities.

University of Missouri—Kansas City School of PharmacyTeam leader: Jennifer R. Sass

Team members: Ashley M. Harbison, Jacquelyn A. Constable, Kristin D. Ripperger, Eamon M. Darbandi

Faculty advisor: Crystal. D Obering, Pharm.D.

The University of Missouri—Kansas City (UMKC) Health Sciences Wellness Fair (HSWF) was first conceived in the summer of 2008 by a group of students wanting to improve the health of patients in the local neighborhood. The inaugural UMKC HSWF was held on April 4, 2009, with the first annual fair conducted on April 24, 2010. Volunteers are specifically trained for the function of the service they will be providing and given tools to effectively interact with the patients. Services such as blood pressure, bone health, and cholesterol screenings are offered to patients, in addition to educational information about depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and smoking cessation. To date, more than 1100 patients have been served by the HSWF and over $40,000 in supplies have been acquired to offer services and screenings at no cost to the patients participating in the HSWF.

The University of Oklahoma College of PharmacyTeam leader: Timmellyn M. Buchanan

Team members: Tara M. Hutchinson, Jill C. Sczech, Tiffany N. Sanders, Katherine E. Denney, Tiffany Tu, Sheri L. Winner

Faculty advisor: Jane E. Wilson, Ph.D.

Since 2007, The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy has led the Health and Safety Blitz health fair at the City Rescue Mission (CRM), a homeless shelter in Oklahoma City. It has become an integral part of the service learning culture of the College of Pharmacy and the 6 other colleges at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) campus. In 2009, the health fair was held in the gymnasium of the CRM and the college staffed several booths with students working in shifts throughout the afternoon. Operation Diabetes was staffed by nine faculty members and 30 student pharmacists who performed finger stick blood sugar screenings, completed information sheets for each person and provided diabetes handouts. The Oklahoma Poison Control Center booth was staffed by a student pharmacist who discussed poison prevention with children and their parents. Faculty and students at the medication counseling booth assisted the homeless in completing a medication list and provided counseling to those who were interested. A contact list of organizations offering free or low-cost medical care was also distributed. Other health fair services included students providing information about breast cancer awareness and smoking cessation.