DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Collection Site Locator Now Available

April 9, 2014 5:30 PM

Written by: NABP National Association of  Boards of Pharmacy

Now available online, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day collection site locator allows consumers to search for a nearby location to dispose of unneeded medications on Saturday, April 26, 2014. On this day, from 10 am to 2 pm, thousands of DEA-coordinated collection sites will be available across the country, and consumers are encouraged to use this opportunity to safely and legally dispose of any unneeded pills, including prescription pain pills and other controlled substance medications, as these pills can only be accepted for disposal when law enforcement is present.

DEA reminds consumers that the take-back service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Sites will accept tablets, capsules, and all other solid dosage forms of unwanted medication. Personal information may be blacked out on prescription bottles, or medications may be emptied from the bottles into the bins provided at the events. Check the DEA collection site locator often, as new locations will be added until April 26, 2014.

Consumers have disposed of over 3.4 million pounds of unwanted medication during previous DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days. During the seventh DEA take-back event on October 26, 2013, more than 5,500 locations provided take-back services across all 50 states and US territories. More information and a link to the DEA Take-Back Day collection site locator is available on theAWARxE® website.

UH Secures First Runner-up for NCPA Chapter of Year

Student Chapter Ranks No. 2 in Nation for Second Year in a Row

The UH College of Pharmacy Chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association took home its second consecutive First Runner-up finish for the Chapter of the Year competition at the NCPA’s 115th Annual Convention & Trade Exposition Oct. 12-16 in Orlando, Fla.

In addition, UHCOP chapter member Esther Thomaswas among 32 students recognized as the NCPA Student Chapter Outstanding Members of the Year. The chapter award, which includes $1,000 in support, and outstanding member award are presented by the NCPA Foundation with support from McKesson.

The UHCOP chapter has undergone a major resurgence in recent years, including having three consecutive students elected to two-year terms on the Student National Leadership Council – one of whom was elected National SLC President.

Chapters vying for national honors are evaluated based on such critieria as program originality/innovation, number of chapter members involved, impact on the community, benefit to student chapter members, and collaboration with independent pharmacies and health care organizations.

“Being named first runner-up two years in a row is a huge accomplishment for us,” said current Chapter President Ally Thrall. “It goes to show how involved our students are and it definitely feels good to be recognized for all of our hard work. The past few presidents Zeke Medina, Bobby Clay and Tam Nguyen have set a standard of excellence for our chapter and I have big shoes to fill this year.

“In my opinion, independent pharmacy is the life of pharmacy. I think UHCOP students are passionate about all of the different opportunities within pharmacy and are interested in learning about all of the different options they have in the future.”

The UH chapter’s 2012-13 academic year activities — upon which the awards are based — included hosting its 3rd Annual Meet and Greet to connect students with independent pharmacy owners; offering dual membership in the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists and NCPA; participation in the Day at the Dome/TPA Leadership Symposium; and organizing a three-part Legislative Workshop Series featuring speakers from the Texas Pharmacy Association and Texas Pharmacy Business Council and covering such topics as how to communicate effectively with lawmakers.

In addition, NCPA members provided health education and wellness screenings at several large health fairs throughout the year, including the Diabetes Awareness Day at a south Houston YMCA; Well Woman Extravaganza, UH Health Awareness Day/Drug Take-back and Frontier Fiesta events at UH; and the Festival of Life Stroke Education and Health Fair at the Houston Zoo.

“The UHCOP NCPA Chapter’s ranking is a direct reflection of the strong work ethic in our membership and support from our independent pharmacists,” said Tam Nguyen, 2012-13 chapter president. “Our ranking helps build momentum and excitement for the new school year, especially for our new officers and incoming P1 students. Being ranked First Runner-up two years in a row is a validation that we got it ‘right’ here at UHCOP.”

“My term as the 2012-2013 Chapter President was a blessing due to the support of our alumni and other independent pharmacists. For example, Mr. Bruce Biundo, co-chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council and immediate past chair of TPA PharmPAC, has been one of our strongest supporters. He reached out to NCPA members and officers to be more involved with Texas pharmacy legislation and sponsored us to attend conferences. Last but not least, I have to mention the support from Dr. Lynn Simpson, NCPA chapter advisor and UH alumna. Her passion and enthusiasm for students involvement in organization are contagious.”

Thrall credited Nguyen for the development of the “Daily Dose,” a biweekly addition to the UH NCPA email, that discussed issues facing independent and Texas Pharmacy.

“Not only did this help promote independent pharmacy, but it also spread political awareness of on going issues that were very important to our profession as a whole,” Thrall said. “We are continuing to implement the Daily Dose into our emails this year to keep encouraging interest in independent pharmacy as well as political advocacy.”

The Chapter of the Year honorees were congratulated at the event by Sharlea Leatherwood, PD, NCPA Foundation president.

“NCPA student chapters help future pharmacists become future pharmacy owners through entrepreneurial-based programs during their collegiate experience,” Leatherwood said. “Amazingly, many of our 2013 honorees were recipients of the same awards in 2012, which is clearly an indication of the ongoing commitment to excellence of these schools. We applaud all the NCPA student chapters for their dedication to community pharmacy.”

 

GRANTS HELP EXPAND PHARMACY SERVICES FOR THE HOMELESS

UH TEAM RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR FOR WORK WITH DOWNTOWN HOUSTON’S HOMES CLINIC

August 27, 2013-Houston

Student and faculty volunteers from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) received national recognition this summer for their work to expand essential health care services for Houston’s homeless population.

Bestowed by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Student Community Engaged Service Award is in recognition of the team’s ongoing activities through the Houston Outreach Medicine, Education and Social Services (HOMES) Clinic. An interprofessional, student-run clinic in downtown Houston, the clinic operates under the auspices of the nonprofit Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston (HHH), which was founded by Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) physician David Buck.

The HOMES Clinic is a collaboration of UHCOP, BCM, the UH Graduate College of Social Work and the Schools of Medicine and Public Health at UTHealth. The clinic has served more than 3,000 patients since it was launched in 2000.

The clinic is open every Sunday to ensure access to needed services on a day when most other health care providers are closed. This also reduces the use of hospital emergency rooms for non-life-threatening conditions.

Pharmacy faculty member David Wallace, student project leader Kim Anh Pham and pharmacy dean F. Lamar Pritchard recently received the award and grant monies totaling $16,000 at the AACP Annual Meeting in Chicago.

“I’m elated that the HOMES Clinic team is being acknowledged for serving the homeless community for more than a decade,” said Pham, who also was appointed as the clinic’s first executive director from the UH College of Pharmacy. “Being a part of the HOMES Clinic has not only helped me in deciding what I want to do in my pharmacy career, but it also gave me insight to the needs of the homeless population. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how homelessness could happen to any of us as a result of life-changing events or circumstances that are often beyond a person’s control.”

Pham said the grant monies primarily will be used to restock and expand the on-site pharmacy’s supply of common medications, including inhalers for asthma and other lung conditions, antibiotics, vaccines and psychiatric drugs.

Serving in a supervisory role over pharmacy students, Wallace has been a fixture at HOMES almost every Sunday since the clinic opened.

“It’s very rewarding to see the students grow not only in their technical and clinical knowledge and skills, but also in their empathy and awareness of the complex medical, mental health and social needs within this patient population,” Wallace said.

Pritchard said the HOMES Clinic is a prime example of the impact of interprofessional teams in providing basic health services to the underserved through collaborative education and practice models.

“One of the most critical health care challenges we face nationwide is poor medication adherence, with an estimated total annual cost upward of $300 billion due to increased hospitalizations and other factors,” Pritchard said. “The HOMES Clinic and safety net providers such as HHH play a vital role in providing basic health care when few other options are available, preventing potentially serious complications resulting from interruptions in drug therapies.”

Recognizing student-led community engagement projects, the four national awards given each year are intended to encourage student pharmacists and faculty to design and build programs of community-engaged service learning, delivering consumer education about medication use, expanding access to affordable medications and improving public health. In addition to the UHCOP, the other recipients were Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy.

For more information on the AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award, visithttp://www.aacp.org/career/awards/Pages/studentcommunityengagedserviceawards.aspx. For more information on the HOMES Clinic, visit http://www.homeless-healthcare.org/homes.html.

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About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country. For more information about UH, visit the university’s newsroom.

About the UH College of Pharmacy
For more than 65 years, the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) has shaped aspiring pharmacists, scientists and researchers. The college offers graduate degrees in pharmacy administration, pharmacology and pharmaceutics, a professional pharmacy degree, combined professional/graduate degrees, and post-graduate residency and fellowship programs. With facilities on the UH campus and in the Texas Medical Center, the UHCO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

Lisa Merkllkmerkl@uh.edu

713-743-8192

 

APRx & AmerisourceBergen Give $50,000 to UH Pharmacy

APRx & AmerisourceBergen Give $50,000 to UH Pharmacy

American Pharmacies and partner wholesaler AmeriSourceBergen have donated $50,000 to the University of Houston College of Pharmacy in support of the school’s strong commitment to retail workplace skills and preparing pharmacy entrepreneurs.

A ceremonial check for $50,000 was presented last week to UH Pharmacy Dean Lamar Pritchard by APRx Board member Alton Kanak of Katy and Alan Wilson, AmerisourceBergen’s vice president of buying groups.

Pritchard said the $50,000 donation will be used to support the cost of the school’s planned new Pharmacy Care Laboratory, a state-of-the art training facility for retail pharmacists. The PCL will feature a simulated community pharmacy that allows students to realistically practice workplace functions such as workflow management, counseling, inventory control, personnel management, disease state management and more.

“We have a special emphasis on entrepreneurship and preparing our students to create successful pharmacy care models for the future,” Dean Pritchard said. “We are extremely proud of our students’ interest in becoming business owners.”

Kanak, a UH pharmacy graduate, said APRx recognizes the need to support the future viability of independent pharmacy by showing students that there are great career options in retail pharmacy outside chain stores.

“To keep independent pharmacy alive, we must start with the students,” Kanak said. “Independent pharmacy allows for maximum innovation in your practice. You decide how you want to run your pharmacy.”

A plaque recognizing the generosity of APRx and AmerisourceBergen will be placed in the new student lab when it is completed, Pritchard said.

American Pharmacies is proud to support the UH Pharmacy College’s strong focus on teaching practical workplace skills and its commitment to encouraging entrepreneurial careers in independent pharmacy.

credit: American Pharmacies July issue

(L-R) APRx Board member Alton Kanak of Katy; Alan Wilson, AmerisourceBergen’s VP of buying groups; and University of Houston Pharmacy Dean Lamar Pritchard

 

Children at Risk for Medication Poisonings When Drugs Not Properly Stored

In 2011, more than 67,000 children were seen in an emergency room due to medication poisoning, reports Safe Kids Worldwide. In most of these cases, 86%, the child was poisoned by adult medication. Children are finding medications in various places – from a purse or wallet, to dresser drawers, to pillboxes. Of fatal poisonings in young children, almost half involved over-the-counter and prescription medications, such as pain medications and cough medicines. AWAR_XE encourages parents and caregivers to securely store needed medications out of reach and out of sight of children, and to safely dispose of any unneeded or expired medications to prevent accidental ingestion by children. In addition, tips for teaching kids about medicine safety and a link to a video for younger children are available on the AWAR_XE Students page.

 

he AWAR_XE Consumer Protection Program is brought to you by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation.