New and Returning Students Enjoy Camp FutuRx at CHSU This Summer

After last year’s success with Camp Rx: A Prescription for Success, Madison Fesperman (P3), president for CHSU’s student chapter of Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), and Vice President, Kenya Covarrubias (P3), set out to host the camp again this year and develop the platform to make the camp a continuing tradition. This year, SNPhA partnered up with Richele Kleiser, VP for Marketing and Communications and the CHSU/CVS Health Próspero program to give a new twist to the camp updating its name to: Camp FutuRx- Promoting Diversity in Pharmacy.
Camp FutuRx was held June 30th and July 1st at California Health Sciences University’s campus. Fourteen new high school students from the Fresno County Migrant Program, three returning students from last year’s camp, and four Próspero students joined CHSU and SNPhA pharmacy student volunteers to learn about the diverse profession of pharmacy. The camp emphasized how their unique skills of being bilingual and culturally competent have the potential to positively impact their future patients and communities. CHSU pharmacy students served as mentors, presenters, and some served as translators to guide the students throughout the camp experience: Jacqueline Ekmalian (P2), Vu Nguyen (P3), Raymond Alcaraz (P2), Karen Pelham (P2), Tiffany Do (P3), Justin Gallaher (P2), Blia Vang (P3), Ka Bao Thao (P3), and incoming student Yvonne Phan (P1).
The students attended presentations on the opioid epidemic, experienced hands-on learning about blood pressure monitoring and stroke, and visited a local CVS store to learn about community pharmacy. They also had guest appearances from CHSU’s very own Dr. Will Ofstad, Assistant Dean for Education; Dr. Michael Freudiger, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences; and Dr. Patty Havard, Associate Dean for Interprofessional Community Engagement, who spoke about their own personal paths and careers in pharmacy.
With our focus on team-based learning and health providers working collaboratively on teams, it was appropriate to have the students work in teams to create posters on an aspect of the pharmacy profession that inspired them.
On Sunday, the students brought their families with them to the camp to learn about Medication Therapy Management (MTM), pathways to pharmacy, and options in scholarships, financial aid, and colleges. The students also participated in a poster presentation showcase to impress their families with their understanding of the pharmacy profession. The day ended with cake and a camp graduation that the students really enjoyed. Overall, the camp was a huge success again this year and it couldn’t have been made possible without all of the time and effort put in by all of the volunteers that made it happen. We look forward to seeing it continue to grow and prosper over the upcoming years as well.