APhA-ASP Chapter at CHSU Featured on APhA Website
October 3, 2016
The new APhA-ASP Chapter at California Health Sciences University (CHSU) College of Pharmacy was featured on the APhA website on September 12, 2016.
Here is the story:
Building a Framework for Future Success
September 12, 2016
New School
During the fall of 2015, California Health Sciences University (CHSU) College of Pharmacy student pharmacists were polled and expressed resounding interest in establishing an APhA–ASP Chapter. Our first membership drive was very successful, and two-thirds of the student body became members. We were then motivated to get to work, and during our initial chapter meeting, our members voted to start two patient care committees: Operation Diabetes and Generation Rx.
The following is a recap of our accomplishments to date and plans for the near future.
Patient Care Projects
Our first two committees were selected to match the most pertinent needs of the patient community in the Fresno area. In our area, we have an obesity rate of 26%, and about 10% of the population is diagnosed with diabetes. Prescription drug abuse has been identified as one of the most rampant problems in Fresno County. A state-wide survey of high schoolers from 2008–10 showed that 17% of 11th graders and 13% of 9th graders had used prescription pain killers to get high at least once.
For our first community outreach event, we participated in Stomp-It-Out, a community event aimed at collecting expired prescription medications while educating the community on the importance of proper disposal of medications. Alongside Lock-It Up, a prescription drug take-back program, our chapter collected more than 66 pounds of prescription medications.
Upcoming Generation Rx plans call for our chapter members to educate high school students about the dangers of the misuse of prescription medications. We will be visiting a multitude of schools during American Pharmacists Month in October. For the culmination of this campaign, the students will pledge to keep their hands off of drugs by using paint to leave their hand-prints on a wall in downtown Fresno.
For Operation Diabetes, we will reach out to community members throughout the year by hosting events at churches, farmer markets, and the local Fresno Fair. These events will educate community members on the signs and symptoms of diabetes, as well as what to do if diabetes is suspected.
SLI Inspiration
Our Chapter President-elect (Salam) recently attended the APhA–ASP Summer Leadership Institute in Washington, DC, and learned various ways to make our monthly chapter meetings and events more exciting. We plan on implementing a points system this year so we can track and reward member participation. We would like to offer money for points to help offset the cost of attending the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition and to be able to recognize outstanding members at the end of the year.
To kick off our year-round Professional Speaker Series, we have invited APhA Immediate Past President Lawrence M. “LB” Brown, PharmD, PhD, FAPhA, to speak to our chapter this September. We are excited to have such a renowned member of APhA speak at our university. We are pairing this with the kick-off of our fall membership drive to allow first year students to see a glimpse of what it means to be a part of APhA–ASP.
In October, we will participate in the second annual CHSU Community Health Fair. Our school and student organizations have grown over the past year and each of the student organizations will host their own health booth with different areas of focus. Our APhA–ASP Chapter looks forward to hosting a “Brown Bag” Medication Education booth at the health fair.
More Milestones to Come
Receiving our chapter charter at APhA2016 in Baltimore was an exciting milestone. We now turn our sights to our first Region 8 Midyear Regional Meeting in Anaheim, CA, this fall as we celebrate our first full year of being a chapter. The spring and summer were spent building a strong framework for our chapter’s future success, and we hope to send a large group of members to APhA 2017 in San Francisco.
As you can see, our chapter has a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year!
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CHSU at a glance
- Year the school was established: The California Health Sciences University was established in 2013 and matriculated its first class during the fall of 2014.
- Type of program: It is a 4-year, team-based learning program.
- Location:Clovis, CA
- Class size: The past two classes averaged 60 students each.
- Interesting fact: Out of 150 students, faculty, and staff, we speak 23 different dialects!
Fouad Boulbol is a third-year, and Salam Kabbani is a second-year, PharmD candidate at the California Health Sciences University College of Pharmacy.