Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Four (4) initiatives that the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences conducts annually to address health and community issues, particularly to the citizens on the south side of Tallahassee. On the COSL report, please take notice of two distinctions: 1. COPPS has a mandatory community service component of our curriculum. Each student must complete a minimum of 200 volunteer hours at a nonprofit organization during their matriculation in the College. Each student now generally completes well over the 200 hour minimum. As you will note from the report, the combined graduating classes of 2005-2008 completed 74,814 volunteer hours during their class' matriculation. 2. Annual COPPS Blood Drive You will also see that from 2005-2008 the College students donated over 600 Units of blood to the Southeastern Blood Bank. This assisted the Tallahassee and entire Big Bend area in being able to respond to the blood needs of our community. 3. FAMU Health Department Pharmacy's The COPPS operates two (2) community pharmacies that provide prescription medications to uninsured, low income, and disadvantaged citizens in Leon County. Funded thru the Leon County Commission, The College provides the Prescription Drug Assistance Program to thousands of patients annually. On average, the two pharmacies fill approximately 20,000 prescriptions per year. 4. Other initiatives The Health Fairs provide free health screenings to participants by trained and licensed professionals assisted by our pharmacy students. Through the Health Fairs we have screened hundreds for diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and other conditions. In addition, we have provided prescription drug counseling to senior citizens and hundreds of other individuals.

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Community Outreach and Service Learning Program

Report of Service Hours

Blood Donation Results 2005-2008 •February 9th & 10th 2005 26 30 56 units collected •September 29th &30th 2005 47 26 73 units collected •February 9th & 10th 2006 46 36 82 units collected •October 12th & 13th 2006 49 44 93 units collected •February 8th & 9th 2007 38 27 65 units collected •September 6th & 7th 2007 49 37 86 units collected •February 21st & 22nd

32 38 70 units collected October 2nd&3rd 2008 38 37 75 units collected 2005 - 129 units 2006- 175 units 2007- 151 units 2008 – 75 units

600 units collected over three years

Community Outreach and Service Learning

Report of Service Hours

2005- 16,126 hours 2006- 20,498 hours 2007 – 18,690 hours 2008 – 19,500 hours 74,814 hours of community service

Tallahassee, Fla. — The Beta Sigma chapter of Phi Lambda Sigma, a national pharmacy leadership organization, housed in the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), launched the Joshua Hillman Health Initiative to educate and promote healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and minimize health disparities.

The Initiative was inspired by Joshua Hillman, a pharmacy student that p a s s e d a w a y f r o m a m e d i c a l misdiagnosis in 2005.

Phi Lambda Sigma has planned numerous activities that will bring back the balance between mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health to students, faculty and staff within the university and surrounding communities. Some of those activities include a health fair with experts in the field of nutrition, exercise, financial, mental and religious health and insurance alternatives. These activities will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, from noon through 5 p.m., in the New Pharmacy Building Auditorium, located on FAMUʼs main campus.

“This Initiative will allow Phi Lambda Sigma to take the lead in reintroducing hea l thy l i fes ty les to hea l thcare

professionals,” said Genetta S. Watts, a second-year PharmD candidate and the founder of the Joshua Hillman Health Initiative. “In order to effectively help others change their lifestyles, we should be aware of our own health status. This is only the beginning of many healthy activities being brought directly to the students and faculty in the College of Pharmacy.”

Joyce Hasan, the mother of Joshua Hillman, is looking forward to the positive effects the initiative will have on the community.

“My family and I are indeed proud to endorse the Joshua Hillman Health Initiative sponsored by FAMUʼs noble and worthy mission to conduct health screenings for the members of our community, prevent disease and save lives. Early detection and treatment are key for potentially fatal diseases faced by our people,” said Joyce Hasan, mother of Joshua Hillman. “My son Joshua, is both the example of a person that made great sacrifices to become a hea l thcare pro fess iona l and an individual who suffered the silent killer of type II diabetes, which led to his death. I greatly appreciate the commitment of FAMUʼs vast resources for the initiativeʼs

kickoff, and the establishment of the Joshua Hillman Scholarship.”

Henry Lewis III, dean and professor of the FAMU COPPS echoed Hasanʼs sentiments regarding the need of such an initiative in the community.

“The College of Pharmacy supports the Joshua Hillman Health Initiative and is proud to partner with the Phi Lambda Sigma, Beta Sigma chapter, in its fight to eliminate healthcare disparities that d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y a f f e c t o u r communities. Studies have indicated that many Americans have never taken a complete physical examination, had their cholesterol levels checked, screened for diabetes or hypertension, had a breast examine, performed a breast self examination or had a PSA [prostate-specific antigen] or DRE [digital rectal exam] to check for prostate cancer. The excuses have been, I donʼt have time, money and sometimes, we just donʼt want to know.  These excuses can be eliminated and getting or staying on the path of good healthcare can be achieved by participation in this tremendous community health event.”

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FAMU College of Pharmacy, National Pharmacy Organization Launch Initiative to Minimize Health Disparities

COPPSfro

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SPRING 2008news

Right to Left: Dominique Sykes-Williams, Genetta Watts, Deborah Sykes-Williams, Delijah Showers,

Joshua Hillman Jr., Joyce Hasan, Lavonia Sampson, Dean Henry Lewis, and Brondon Donaldson

College of Pharmacy Health Fairs

Location Date Number of Participants Florida A&M University Student Health Fair

03/0106

56

United States Post Office

09/12/06 09/14/06 09/20/06

13 18 24

Palmer Monroe Community Health Center

10/21/06

30

National Pharmacy Week (TMH)

10/23-24/06

175

Trinity United Presbyterian Church

06/16/07

40

Palmer Monroe Community Health Center

05/05/07

20

Gethsemane Missionary Baptis Church

04/17/07

25

Proposed name:  the Joshua Hillman Initiative: A Prescription for Healthy Living 

As healthcare providers, we are trained to educate our communities on living healthy lifestyles in order to facilitate the prevention of diseases and to minimize health disparities. We organize and participate in health fairs where we perform screenings and medication reviews for others while we often neglect the care and concern of our own bodies.     These same bodies may be  in grave danger, may be  in need of some health  improvements or may  simply need a “healthy maintenance” plan.   Yet we choose  to be unaware, and sometimes we actually choose to deny, the presence of concerns which could ultimately impact  the  overall  quality  and/or  existence  of  our  lives.    Therefore,  it  is  through  the  Joshua Hilman Initiative that we will set the trend for  living healthy  in our community – the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical  Sciences.     Whether  you  are  a  pharmacy  student  on  the  road  to  becoming  a  future healthcare provider, a  faculty or  staff member, or moreover a concerned  family member, we plan  to take  the  lead  to “bring about” a healthy  lifestyle  to our own.     By extension, hopefully, we will all be inclined to  involve those we  love and care about  in our families and communities so we can help each other to live a long and healthy life – one person at a time, if we can.  

The Proposal:  

The College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is a community of people. Therefore, the care and healthy  lifestyles we  promote  as  future  healthcare  providers  should  start  at  home.      The  operative question should be: how can we tell others how to address their health concerns, if we don’t take care of our own?  Without a doubt, many of us has never had a complete physical exam, had our cholesterol level checked, been screened for diabetes or hypertension, had a breast exam, performed a breast self examination or had a prostate  check.       Our usual excuse  includes, we don’t have  time, money, and sometimes, we simply don’t want to know.   The alarming issue is the fact that some of us ARE  indeed walking around with high blood pressure, high glucose and cholesterol levels, and don’t  know it, and we probably won’t know it for years to come which is why we need to act now!    Therein, the purpose of this  Initiative  is  to  ‘Bring Healthy  Back’  to  our  students. We  plan  to  bring  in  the  experts,    have  the seminars,  the  health  fairs,  the  screenings  (BP,  diabetes,  cholesterol,  HIV/AIDS),  the  community resources and the exercise/walking   programs here  in our home – right here  in the College where we study, work, sleep and eat – sometimes 7 days a week.     

The Focus 

 To  promote  or  bring  back  the  balance  between mental,  physical,  emotional,  and  spiritual  health amongst  the people  in  this College – a community where we  live, work and play every day  for many years as we strive to achieve our goals in life. 

          1.   Health Fair to kickoff the Initiative:  This fair will include having experts on nutrition, exercise,         financial health, sexual health, mental health, religious health, insurance alternatives, and fun      interactive activities and demonstrations for students, faculty and staff in the College.  

  

 

2. Topic:    “Living a healthy  lifestyle  ‘on  the go’”:   This presentation will  include  realistic  sample daily  menus  for  quick,  easy  and  most  of  all  healthy  breakfasts,  lunches  and  dinners.  Cooking/preparation demonstrations for these meals and snacks will be available. 

3. Topic:  “Where do you go for help when you need it”:  This presentation will identify community resources  to help you get help when you have medical concerns and can’t afford  to seek  the required medical attention and the subsequent follow‐up. 

4. Topic: “Let’s get to know your culture”:   This presentation will discuss cultural differences and the means  of  how  to  help  us  all  live  “comfortably  and  accepted”  in  our  community:    This presentation will serve as a way of introducing our Multicultural Health Fair which will allow us all to be exposed to different types of healthy foods and physical activities such as dancing and exercising.   We will  participate  in  various  cultural  games  and  activities  that will  help  us  to experience and appreciate what all of the different cultures in the College have to offer us as we prepare to be healthcare providers who will interface with them at some point in time. 

5. Topic:   “How to get and manage a healthy  life”:   This presentation will  involve representatives from  our  Counseling  Center  who  will  address  stress  and  time  management  and  healthy relationships.   It will help to  identify “comfortable” methods on how to ask for help  if you feel like you need it. 

 

Activities: 

1. Weight a‐thon:  Weight loss challenge between the classes, faculty and staff; all proceeds will go to the Joshua Hillman Scholarship Fund. 

2. Walk‐a‐thon:   Walking challenge between the classes,  faculty and staff; which teams can walk the most laps around the NPB.  All proceeds will go to the Joshua Hillman Scholarship Fund. 

3. Health Walks:   organized, planned health walks 3 times a week.   Students will meet  in front of the College and walk together for 30‐45 minutes around the NPB to encourage healthy exercise breaks.    We  will  offer  support  and  encouragement  to  our  weight  challenged  friends  and colleagues who may need that extra motivation to get out and exercise but fear doing it on their own. 

4. Exercise classes held in the New Pharmacy Building 2‐3 times/week. 5. Church services to be held  in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Auditorium (BYOM – students, faculty 

and staff can “bring your own minister” to deliver a sermon) 6. COPPS’ HOTLINE:  students, faculty and staff in the COPPS (who receive the appropriate training) 

will man  the phone  to be  there when one of our own needs  to vent,  talk or pray.   Obviously discretionary and privacy concerns will be followed. 

7. Establish a COPPS’ Healthy Eating Store:  each of the 5 student organizations can man the store 1 day a week; will sell healthy snacks during the lunch hours – 11 ‐2:00 pm. 

 

Miscellaneous: 

Paraphernalia such as Tee shirts,  lunch boxes, water bottles, and towels that will advertise the Initiative 

Challenge  to Allied Health, FAMU/FSU/TCC Nursing, FSU COM,  that we are  the  first  to start – others may follow if they can…… 

Challenge  to  all  academic  units  on  campus  to  “Get  Healthy”,  so  FAMU  can  get  healthy  all together with the COPPS taking the lead!!