Erie, Pa. and Bradenton, Fla. – A month-long program of patient-education has earned students of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy honors in the nationwide Medication Adherence Challenge. LECOM is one of only two schools to receive recognition two years in a row.
LECOM is among eight schools that were recognized by the National Consumers League for their medication adherence projects that were completed in February. LECOM School of Pharmacy students volunteered more than 800 hours at 27 community service events in Erie, Pa., and Bradenton and Sarasota, Fla. Among those events were: an HIV/AIDS Awareness Health Fair in Bradenton and an Asthma Medication Compliance presentation in Erie. A special LECOM Script Your Future Public Service Announcement aired at movie theaters, radio and TV stations in Erie, Bradenton and Sarasota received over one million views.
Nearly three out of four Americans don’t take their medications as directed and the results can be devastating, particularly for people with chronic conditions. More than one-third of medicine-related hospitalizations and almost 125,000 deaths in the United States each year are due to people not taking their medicine as directed. Medication adherence can lead to improved health and reduced total healthcare costs.
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| An HIV/AIDS Awarness Health Fair was one of several events LECOM students particpated in during the Script Your Future medication adherence campaign. Pictured are Pharmacy students Bradley Lahr and Brandie Arvay. |
This year’s awardees, selected from 85 participating colleges and schools of pharmacy, are: St. Louis College of Pharmacy, University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Touro University California College of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy and Harding University College of Pharmacy.
The Challenge is a coordinated initiative to engage student pharmacists in a public education effort on the importance of helping patients with chronic diseases take their medications as directed. More than 40,000 student pharmacists educated more than 250,000 individuals nationwide during the month of October in this concerted public effort about the importance of medication adherence. The program is sponsored by the National Consumers League (NCL), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
The Medication Adherence Challenge is part of a public awareness campaign launched in 2011 by NCL with more than 100 public and private stakeholder organizations, including NACDS Foundation and AACP. The campaign, titled Script Your Future, seeks to raise awareness with patients about the importance of taking medication as directed.
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Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit www.ScriptYourFuture.org.
About AACP
Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is a national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education and educators. Comprising 124 accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy with more than 6,000 faculty and 60,000 students, AACP is committed to excellence in pharmacy education. Visit www.aacp.org to learn more.
About NACDS Foundation
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that serves as the education, research and charitable affiliate of NACDS. The NACDS Foundation seeks to improve the health and wellness of the people in America. It utilizes education, research, and charitable involvement to help people improve their health and quality of life through an understanding of medication therapy and the importance of taking medications appropriately. For more information, please visit www.NACDSFoundation.org.