Natalie Perkins, PharmD
Class of 2004
“Thank you, Natalie!”
This is a phrase that repeats itself over and over when you talk to HIV patients at El Rio Health Center about their involvement in Club Medbox and Club 95.
Both groups help people living with HIV/AIDS adhere to their medications by providing medication education and social support.
“This incredible job opportunity became available while I was on rotations,” says Perkins, a Manchester, N.H., native. “It seemed like a great fit. I have been working at El Rio Special Immunology Associates since graduating in 2004.”
Perkins, the associates’ Treatment Adherence Coordinator, assists patients in taking their medications by helping them understand why the medication is important and why strict adherence is necessary. Since she started Club Medbox and Club 95, Perkins says patients have increasingly adhered to their medication regimens and clinical appointments.
Perkins says Club 95 members meet once a month and patients who succeed in taking at least 95 percent of their medications are treated to an upscale dinner with their peers. Club Medbox meets for three hours every week, alternating between Spanish and English meetings. The patients pour their medicine into medboxes, receive medication and disease state education, and eat lunch while working on their problems with a behavioral therapist.
One patient Perkins works with, Ruben Gomez, says his medications weren’t working when he first joined Club Medbox in 2007.
“Natalie told me not to give up,” Gomez says. “I didn’t, and then I joined Club 95. My medications slowly started working.”
A natural desire to help those in need propelled Perkins to decide on a pharmacy career.
“The patients are the best thing about my job,” Perkins says. “They can be truly inspiring. What makes Special Immunology Associates unique is its family atmosphere.”
Perkins, who came to Tucson in 1995 for the sunshine, lives here with her husband and two children, Taylor and Mathieu.