NACDS Foundation awards $140,000 to expand community Rx
ALEXANDRIA, VA. —Bolstering the growing case for pharmacy-based clinical care and disease management, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation is doling out nearly $140,000 to help fund projects to develop ways to promote the practice of community pharmacy and improve patient care.
The grant program was launched last year to partner with pharmacy schools and related organizations to develop projects that advance pharmacy-based patient-care efforts.
After analyzing the 14 grant proposals that were submitted, the NACDS Foundation awarded the following grants:
Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences was awarded $20,000 for the “Internship Program Partnering Pharmacy Students with Chain Pharmacy Entrepreneurs.” Participating students will link up with chain pharmacy entrepreneurs dedicated to developing future leaders and innovative practice models.
The New Mexico Medical Review Association received $50,000 for “Improving Patient Outcomes Using Medication Therapy Management Collaborative Approach,” a pilot study to improve medication adherence via face-to-face MTM provided by community pharmacists to New Mexico Medicare beneficiaries.
Another $50,000 went to the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. Its goal: to fund research provided as part of the Northern California Collaborative for Pharmacist Care Services, a partnership comprised of the second-largest purchaser of healthcare services in this country, the California Public Employee’s Retirement System; the largest insurer in California, Blue Shield of California; the eighth-largest privately held company in California, Raley’s Groceries and Pharmacies; and the UCSF School of Pharmacy. The program is designed to demonstrate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of community pharmacist intervention in patient care, specifically diabetes and lipid management.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy was awarded $20,000 for an “Analysis of Physician Identified Medication-Related Needs in the Community: Opportunities for Pharmacist-Provided Medication Therapy Management.” The project, said foundation president Phil Schneider, is key to understanding how pharmacists can best work with physicians to integrate MTM services into the community. The study will attempt to identify, from the physician perspective, unmet patient medication-related needs and how these needs can be fulfilled by pharmacist provision of MTM services.
Schneider called all four programs “a positive investment for the future of pharmacy care.”
Separately, the foundation recently awarded $122,000 in scholarships following a boost in support from corporate donors. The awards are given as part of the foundation’s Pharmacy Student Scholarship Program, aimed at nurturing future leaders in community pharmacy practice and recognizing students with a strong interest in pursuing a pharmacy career.
“This year saw a remarkable increase in the number of scholarships awarded,” NACDS noted in a statement. “Due to dramatic growth in benefactor contributions, 60 scholarships were able to be awarded.”
That marks a significant jump from the 40 scholarships handed out in 2006 and the 37 awarded in 2005.
Four high-achieving students were tapped to receive a named scholarship. Those awards include:
The Robert J. Bolger scholarship, named for the former NACDS president and chief executive officer, and sponsored by Barr Laboratories, for which Bolger served as a board member. This year’s recipients are Christopher Forg of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center College of Pharmacy and Daniel Malone of the Albany College of Pharmacy.
The Taro Research Foundation scholarship honors the Taro Research Foundation, a private foundation whose main purpose is to support public charitable organizations that conduct medical research, facilitate medical education or provide assistance. Recipients are Renee Alsberry of Duquesne University and Luis Ramos of the University of Washington.