1. Acknowledgements
Our OSU SSHP chapter gratefully acknowledges the contributions of
the preceptors and sites who have volunteered their time and
locations to make our outreach efforts in the community possible.
We are also especially grateful to the student leaders who
spearhead this initiative every year and the student volunteers who
graciously donate their time and energy to make this outreach
event possible.
Spring Break Outreach Initiative:
Statewide Rural Health Screenings
to Promote Community Wellness
EA Van Devender, M Leinbach, J Sugiyama
Oregon State University, College of Pharmacy, Corvallis, OR 97331
Introduction
Since 2008, 104 students from both the Corvallis and Portland
campuses at Oregon State University (OSU) have participated in a
statewide rural outreach event during the last Saturday of spring
break. The Spring Break Outreach Initiative is a student-run,
student-led health outreach project that has been held in 22
different sites in 18 different communities across the state. These
outreach events have allowed OSU student pharmacists to perform
over 675 health screenings for blood glucose, high blood pressure,
and body mass index and educate over 550 patients about
hypertension, diabetes, heartburn, asthma, smoking cessation,
medication use, poison prevention, and immunizations.
The goals of the Spring Break Outreach Initiative are to
1) promote wellness and encourage patients to be proactive
about their health and well-being
2) provide information about disease states to educate patients
about their health and potential risk factors for disease
3) reach out to underserved populations in a relatively rural areas
of Oregon who might not be able to afford or have access to
preventive healthcare
4) raise public consciousness about the role of pharmacists as
healthcare providers
5) allow students to experience pharmacy in rural communities
Results for 2010
12 sites in Oregon were served:
42 pharmacy students participated in activities such as:
Other activities included antibiotic awareness, heartburn education,
smoking cessation, asthma education, poison prevention, and shingles
education.
Discussion
The Spring Break Outreach Initiative has helped our Student Society
of Health-System Pharmacy (SSHP) chapter extend the reach of
pharmacy services to rural and underserved communities in
Oregon. The initiative provides pharmacy students at all levels
experience in direct patient care and helps cultivate the necessary
ability, knowledge, and clinical skills necessary for careers as patient
care providers. Students benefit from the initiative by getting
“hands-on” experience with patients, while patients also benefit
from their interaction with students. Many patients in rural areas of
Oregon do not have insurance or access to preventive healthcare
and may not have had recent health screening checks. These
health screenings also serve to increase the visibility of pharmacy as
a patient-care profession. Pharmacy students are able to use this as
an opportunity to encourage patients to make positive lifestyle
changes in addition to being proactive about their health and
overall level of care.
Future Plans
The Spring Break Outreach Initiative continues to be a popular
patient outreach project at the OSU College of Pharmacy. Future
years should see even more participation by students at different
sites and various communities throughout the state.
Map of Outreach Sites 2008-2010
Methods
Working with preceptors throughout the state, outreach events are
planned and organized to provide activities that will most benefit the
community’s population.
Promotion of an outreach event can include handouts for patients
picking up prescriptions, flyers in the pharmacy and the community
(e.g. doctor offices, clinics, senior center), as well as talking to store
clerks who can mention it to customers.
On the day of the event: Students ask patients to complete all
necessary documentation forms and interview the patient briefly to
determine any medical conditions, family history, or factors that could
affect screening outcomes. Students then explain to the patient what
they will be screened for and how this will be done before beginning
testing. The patient is then screened for blood pressure, blood glucose,
and/or body mass index, and the results are documented the results on
the patient’s wellness form. The results are then explained to the
patient. Patient education brochures are provided based on the
screening results and the patient’s level of interest. The patient wellness
form is then signed, dated, and returned to the patient for their files.
•Tillamook
•Lebanon
•Coos Bay
•Florence
•Grant’s Pass
•Hermiston
•Myrtle Creek
•Newport
•Roseburg
•Seaside
•Stayton
•St. Helens
• 249 blood pressure screenings
• 86 blood glucose screenings
• 30 body mass index screenings
• 42 brown bag consultations
• 2 Zostavax® vaccinations