ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Four outstanding student-led community engagement programs will receive the 2013-14 AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award. These programs deliver important information about medication use to consumers, and have been proven to expand access to affordable healthcare and to improve the public’s health.
Teams from Harding University, Samford University, University of the Pacific and Virginia Commonwealth University will each receive the national award, sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, on July 29 during the Closing Banquet at the 2014 AACP Annual Meeting.
In addition to receiving a commemorative prize, the winning pharmacy schools will each receive $10,000 to be used exclusively to support the expansion of the recognized program or new community engaged service projects at the school. Each team receives a $5,000 financial stipend for enhancing or sustaining the recognized program or for travel support to attend and present their projects at professional meetings. The award also includes a $1,000 stipend for the faculty advisor and up to $2,500 to cover travel, lodging, and registration expenses for one designated student and one faculty advisor to attend the 2014 AACP Annual Meeting.
More information about each winning program:
Increasing Awareness, Decreasing HPV
Team leader: Seo H. Jang
Team members: Brantley M. Underwood, Ellen S. Jones, Parisa F. Khan, Aaron Tran, Janine Lastimosa, Vittoria Ledesma, Kimberly Kwok
Faculty advisor: Rayanne A. Story, Pharm.D.
Beginning in the fall of 2009, a team of student pharmacists at Harding University College of Pharmacy began to expand HPV education and prevention in White County, Ark. Their objective was to develop educational tools and cancer prevention materials to supplement current resources offered by local, state and county health officials. First, a survey was developed to assess community leaders’ perceptions of current clinical practice and to understand patient behaviors. A second survey of residents ages 19-26 discovered discrepancies in knowledge about HPV. Data from the patient survey indicated a clear need to increase awareness of the link between HPV, genital warts and cervical cancer. It also showed that education on preventive measures such as vaccination was necessary.
To address this need, student pharmacists provided HPV disease information to Harding undergraduate students via handouts and a formal classroom presentation. The team also published an article in Searcy Living, promoting HPV vaccination in both males and females. To help educate the medical community, one student presented a CE program for pharmacists, “HPV Overview and Vaccine Update.” Using TV and public service announcements, Harding student pharmacists hope to encourage prevention through vaccination, and eventually vaccinate patients in the project’s final phase.
A Hopeful Solution
Team leader: Gwen K. Nance
Team members: Ali Lloyd, Allana Alexander, David South, Ashley Waddell
Faculty advisor: B. DeeAnn Dugan, Pharm.D.
More than 10 years ago, faculty and students at the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy began seeing patients in the underserved communities of Birmingham, Ala. Holding multiple health fairs, educational events and health screenings each year in local pharmacies, at the Southern Women’s Show and during the Samford Homecoming, the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter has worked diligently to improve patient knowledge and care outcomes. In 2010, the Alabama Rural Health Student Initiative (ARHSI) was formed. Its goal is to improve health literacy through education and to provide health screening services to assist with monitoring and referral of residents to the Sowing Seeds of Hope clinics.
Students make monthly trips to the Friendship Baptist Church site in Perry County and to the East Perry Volunteer Fire Department. They provide many healthcare services, including blood glucose measurement, cholesterol testing, and blood pressure and BMI measurement. The ability to support patients after the screening, particularly when additional follow-up is needed, is a high priority for the success of the program. Sowing Seeds of Hope has fostered relationships between students and community members, increased patient access to healthcare, enhanced education on health topics, and supported self-efficacy.
Managing Medicare on the Move
Team leader: Keira Doma
Team members: Marise Awad, Shu Lu, Natalie Hajian, Zohal Fazel
Faculty advisor: Rajul A. Patel, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
At the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, student pharmacists participate in an ongoing and multidimensional series of Mobile Medicare Health Clinics that enrich the lives and well-being of seniors and other patients in northern/central California. Held in 15 different cities over the past six years, these clinics are targeted to Medicare beneficiaries, the majority of whom are seniors.
Each Mobile Clinic is scheduled during the Medicare Part D open enrollment period (October 15–December 7), which is the window during which all Medicare beneficiaries can enroll into or switch their Part D prescription drug plan. Taking place concurrently with student education and training, faculty work with community partners, such as HUD‐subsidized housing complexes, retirement communities and senior centers, to identify host sites for the mobile clinics. They are deployed in a variety of settings to help ensure that students and faculty are able to effectively reach underserved and under‐represented populations.
Students provide core clinic services, such as helping patients effectively navigate the healthcare system, better understand their part D prescription drug benefit, minimize out of pocket costs, optimize medication use and avoid vaccine-preventable diseases. Additionally, students understand the role that pharmacists, prescribers, the federal government, insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies play in society’s healthcare.
Interprofessionalism at Work in Rural Virginia
Team leader: Natalie L. Nguyen
Team members: Erika R. Lambert, Shaema A. George
Faculty advisor: Evan M. Sisson, Pharm.D.
Since 2007, students at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy have provided much-needed healthcare to medically underserved patients in rural Virginia through the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps (RAM). This non-profit relief organization is dedicated to providing free health services to people in remote areas of the world. Over two and a half days in 2007, nine students joined 1,377 RAM volunteers and completed 8,431 patient interactions, providing approximately $1.4 million worth of free care.
The first year students that participated at RAM laid the groundwork for later years. Initially, students sorted crates of donated drugs into therapeutic classes and screened boxes of donated supplies, discarding expired and harmful agents. Students now participate in many activities throughout the RAM event. They review medication histories and document findings on personal health logs. Working interprofessionally with registered nurses, they review past medical history, immunization status and other important health information. They also measure patients’ blood pressure, pulse, respiration and point of care blood glucose. Initial testing of hemoglobin A1C levels at RAM falls to student pharmacists under supervision of preceptor. Students also work in the dental extraction area with patients waiting for dental surgery. They conduct a final review of a patient’s medication history and allergies to identify those in high risk.
About AACP
Founded in 1900, AACP is the national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education. AACP is comprised of all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, including more than 6,500 faculty, 62,500 students enrolled in professional programs and 5,100 individuals pursuing graduate study. To learn more about AACP, visit www.aacp.org.