# Presentation: 012311

## The Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee (PharmPAC) Public Health Pharmacy Sub Group

- Jeffrey Tworzyanski
- Raj Bykadi
- Charlie Hoppes
- Nina Nwaba
- J. Lloyd Johnson
- Vasavi Reddy
- Sharon Gershon
- Brenda Marques
- Diane Frankenfield
- Donald Reese
- Laura Pincock
- Leo Zadecky
- Martin Pollock

- Kristina Arnwine
- Kathy Oh
- Kimberly Compton
- Jinhee Jahng
- John Quinn
- Nora Roselle
- Melanie Shin
- Carol Holquist
- Bill Koch
- Tia Harper-Velazquez
- Martin Pollock
- Michelle Dillahunt
- Paras Patel

## Mission Statement:

- 	**Through the PharmPAC mission: **
**	****To support and recognize interventions in the field of pharmacy which promote community health and prevent community health problems.**

## Current Public Health Concerns:

- Some of the public health challenges we face today are as a result of lifestyle changes and personal choices
- Sedentary Lifestyle/Improper Diet
- Sexual Behavior/STD’s/Unexpected Pregnancy
- Substance Abuse: Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs
- Family Violence
- Suicide

## APhA Addresses Public Health Issues:

- It is encouraging to see a clear message to pharmacists on major public health problems
- Recent APhA *Pharmacy Today *topics:
- Pharmacists and Immunizations
- Pediatric Obesity
- Low-carb Diets, Calories in weight management
- Condoms/lubricants
- Men’s Health – Smoking
- Women’s Health column also addresses these issues

## Pharmacists as Public Health Educators

- Excellent Communication Skills
- Trustworthy
- People Oriented
- Easily Accessible
- Experts in giving health care information
- Well connected with other healthcare providers

## Group Goals

- Encourage pharmacist volunteerism in public  health-related areas
- To collaborate with the American Pharmacists                    Association
- To reach a wide audience through journals,   websites, and meetings
- To solicit and broadcast stories about pharmacists                                                                                                                                               who have volunteered in their community

## Pharmacy Volunteerism to Address Public Health Problems

- Need organized effort to recruit pharmacist volunteers
- Volunteerism is a rewarding outlet for pharmacists
- Volunteer-pharmacist pool is expected to increase as baby-boomer pharmacists retire

## Some Areas Suited to Pharmacist Volunteerism

- Smoking Cessation
- Youth Counseling – Drug Abuse, STD’s, Pregnancy Prevention
- Active Lifestyle/Diet Modification Activities
- Elder Outreach – Nursing Home Activities
- Immunizations
- Emergency Response

## Pharmacy Week 2004

- Venue: Montgomery Community College
- Intervention for young people with many expected years of life
- Students at impressionable age
- Help students get the facts on health issues
- Educate students on public health issues
- Recruit students into health care related fields – Careers in the PHS
- Limitations of this intervention

## A Partnership to Encourage Pharmacist Volunteerism

- The PHS PharmPAC
- The PHS Offers Health care credibility, a “seal of approval” that is well known to all
- The PHS can offer expertise
- The American Pharmacists Association
- Can reach *many* pharmacists through journals, websites, and meetings
- Provide a forum for discussion to share successes in public health interventions

## Pharmacy Today Column

- Best stories of pharmacist volunteerism can be held up to encourage further volunteer efforts, e.g., volunteerism in emergency/terrorism response
- Spotlight ideas for public health interventions, e.g. Pharmacy Week at Montgomery College, discuss venue, getting materials, etc.
- Encourage subgroups of pharmacists, e.g., retirees, to become active
- Stimulate formation of groups of pharmacists to come together to address specific Public Health issues

## The Future

- The working group envisions the grass-roots coalescence of pharmacists into groups to address specific public health problems
- The working group envisions future research to determine where pharmacists now volunteer and where pharmacists can make the greatest impact with volunteer efforts

## Summary

- The Public Health Working Group sees potential in pharmacists’ volunteer efforts at local and national levels
- The Working Group is proposing partnering with the APhA to encourage pharmacist volunteerism as a natural extension of the APhA’s efforts to educate pharmacists on broader public health issues.