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Student Pharmacists to Receive National Community Service AwardALEXANDRIA, Va. --(Business Wire)-- The 2012-13 AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award will be awarded to four outstanding student-led community engagement programs delivering consumer education about medication use. These programs have been proven to expand access to affordable healthcare and dramatically improve the public's health. Teams from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Midwestern University/Downers Grove, Butler University and the University of Houston and will each receive the national award, sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, at the 2013 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. 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 national awards ceremony at AACP's 2013 Annual Meeting. Once there, they will explain their project's impact on the community during a special session for award winners. A student representative and faculty advisor from each of the following schools (listed in alphabetical order by state) will be honored with a Tiffany & Co. Shooting Star during AACP's Annual Meeting, Pharmacy Education 2013, July 13-17, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. School: University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy
Team leader: Shanele Shimabuku In the spirit of service and commitment to the Pacific region, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy created the Pacific Islander Mobile Screening Clinic. Actively applying lessons from the classroom, student pharmacists seek to improve public health and access to healthcare by providing education and wellness screenings to the Island's underserved, multi-lingual, low-literacy Micronesian immigrant population. The clinic's goals are to increase awareness of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure; identify members of the community at risk for these conditions; provide wellness and lifestyle ounseling; and provide referrals to accessible healthcare services offered at reasonable costs. Health professional students of Pacific Islander background were recruited into the effort, as well as local high school students with multilingual skills to act as translators. The program hopes to spark interest in pharmacy careers among the young adults. Existing students have the opportunity to improve patient counseling skills, practice intercultural communication, and gain real-world clinical experience. Exit questionnaires have shown the program to be highly successful, with 96 percent of respondents indicating they would attend the clinic again and 97 percent stating they would recommend the clinic to family and friends. School: Midwestern University's Chicago College of Pharmacy
Team leader: Vinvia Leung The Asian Community Health Education Initiative (ACHEI), a collaboration between Midwestern University's Asian Health Association and the Midwest Asian Health Association, provides Chicago's underserved Chinatown neighborhood with quality healthcare. Offering monthly screening events and laboratory consultation- and education-visits, ACHEI uses student pharmacists of Asian backgrounds to assist in diagnosing and translating medical information for residents. After screening events, results are mailed to residents who are invited back for more thorough explanations. Most patients attend these follow-up visits to better understand their current health status and for student interpretation in their native language. Being able to provide these services in a patient's native tongue has made the ACHEI a comfortable and reliable healthcare resource for the community. The cultural connection allows for the most effective care, as patients are more willing to be open and the healthcare team can provide the best culturally-appropriate practices and information. As a result of the program, students are better prepared to interact with various real-life patient situations and learn to adapt to the many challenges in providing quality care to all communities. In addition to mandatory training in consultation skills, students will be undergoing a comprehensive review on laboratory interpretation and related disease states, along with common Chinese medical terminology. School: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Team leader: Meagan K. Doolin The Butler University Community Outreach Pharmacy program aims to provide quality healthcare to the underserved in the near eastside community of Indianapolis. Every Saturday morning, a local church provides space for BUCOP's clinic and pharmacy to provide free medication therapy management to the community. Staffed by students, the clinic and pharmacy assesses and counsels patients on everything from making healthier lifestyle choices to finding locations for inexpensive, necessary medications. In conjunction with Indiana University (News - Alert), BUCOP reaches out to those unable or ineligible to receive healthcare through any other program, with the eventual goal of expanding its reach into the greater Indianapolis area. Over three years, the program has received positive testimonial feedback and grown significantly-filling an average of eight prescriptions for 11 patients a week during its first month, to filling 1,750 prescriptions and serving 5,750 patients in the first half of 2012. BUCOP's expanded influence has allowed it to pursue more general initiatives for its patients, such as smoking cessation programs and campaigns for health-benefitting lifestyle changes. Students are also able to develop their interprofessional skills by communicating with and working directly with medical students and physicians, answering their drug information questions, and making therapeutic recommendations. School: University of Houston College of Pharmacy
Team leader: Kim Anh T. Pham The Houston Outreach Medicine Education and Social Services Clinic seeks to reduce health disparities by addressing the healthcare needs of Houston's homeless population. Providing the thoroughness of a primary care visit, the H.O.M.E.S. Clinic offers care from all health sectors, integrating student pharmacists with medical, public health and social work students to meet the needs of the underserved community. Overseen by Healthcare for the Homeless, the clinic helps patients overcome every obstacle between themselves and quality care. This includes providing bus passes through "Project Access," Houston's only regularly-scheduled, free-transportation service for Houston's homeless to travel to necessary service facilities. The H.O.M.E.S. Clinic has four examination rooms, a pharmacy, multiple conference and office rooms, and serves six to eight patients each Sunday. This is meant to ensure thorough care, giving each patient quality time and extensive treatment. Students train for their roles alongside a peer manager before graduating to a more primary position after four outings. As they advance through their years at the clinic, student pharmacists become equipped to perform drug utilization reviews, recommend over-the-counter medications (under supervision), and perform a range of physical assessment tests. 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.
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