Outreach Activities

Through its centers and students, the College of Pharmacy reaches out to communities throughout Arizona, in other parts of the United States and in Mexico. The services provided through the college are varied and maybe not always what you might associate with the word "pharmacy."  Here's a brief overview. Follow the links for more information on specific programs, and explore the UA Outreach site, too.

Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center

The first poison center in Arizona answers phone calls from 13 of Arizona's 14 counties, helping people worried about  poison, medicines and bites and stings from venomous creatures. The certified specialists answer more than 65,000 calls per year. Education about how to prevent accidental poisonings and what to do when you encounter a rattlesnake or scorpion is also an important part of the public health hotline's mission. The center provides the following outreach services:

• Presentations at a variety of locations including community organizations, businesses, senior citizens' groups and professional conferences
• Exhibits at health fairs and other events
• Educational materials including brochures, magnets, telephone labels
• Educational programs in poison prevention
• "Train the Presenter" poison prevention programs for teachers and healthcare professionals
• POISONology blog about a variety of topics related to drugs, poisonings and venomous creatures

To learn more about the center's educational services and tools, email Liz Barta, RN, CHES, poison educator

Medication Management Center

The Medication Management Center, established in 2006, provides a number of services including chronic disease management, medication counseling, formulary management and health and wellness screenings. The pharmacists at the center have a combined 50 years of community pharmacy experience and 20 years of experience with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Their credentials include residency training, a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and certified geriatric pharmacist. They are licensed to provide services throughout the United States.

How does the center help people? Here are the words of Joe G., who has diabetes.

"I spoke with a pharmacist at the center several times," Joe says. "I learned more about insulin from her than from all other sources combined.

"I was having a problem with my blood sugars. The specialist counseled me on how to manage my insulin so that my sugar levels were within goal. She also suggested I could change from one medication that I was paying $100 a bottle for to a generic that Walmart carries for $26 a bottle. That is less than my co-pay."

For more information about:

• "Brown Bag" medication reviews
• Health and wellness screenings at your next health fair
• Presentation for small or large groups on medication management

or other services from the center, contact Kevin Boesen, PharmD, Medication Management Center director, by email or at 520-626-3981.

Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center
Community Outreach and Education Core

The Community Outreach and Education Core (COEC) promotes awareness, understanding and appreciation of environmental public health issues studied by the members of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center. Its purpose is to empower individuals and groups in Arizona and the Southwest to sustain healthy lifestyles and living environments.

Examples of COEC activities include:

• partnering with American Indian communities about their environmental health concerns
• sponsoring high school students in research internships to help them enter the environmental science pipeline
• informing the general public and teachers about environmental health issues
• promoting environmental health literacy to the public through environmental public health projects
• using the internet as an outreach method to reach people across the United State and in other countries, most notably, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Dean Carter Binational Center for Environmental Health Sciences

The Dean Carter Binational Center for Environmental Health Sciences is dedicated to promoting stakeholder outreach and information exchange in Arizona, Mexico and the US-Mexico border region. The community outreach goals are to increase public awareness of the risks associated with commonly occurring contaminants and to provide timely information and assistance for remedial measures.

Specific activities of the center include:

• development of innovative remediation technologies
• assistance to Mexican professionals or students through scholarships
• production of online bilingual educational materials
• organization of professional training workshops
• implementation of collaborative demonstration field sites and
• promotion of border regional community meetings.

The center uses a multidisciplinary approach, meshing health with environmental sciences and engineering to address binational contamination problems.

For more information about working with the center, contact Denise Moreno Ramirez  by email or at 520-429-1428.

Student Activities

Throughout  their four years of pharmacy school, students at the college participate in a wide range of health education events, disease screenings, charity events and community service activities. Each year they provide free services to thousands of Arizonans. In many cases, the projects and events are sponsored by one of the student organizations at the College of Pharmacy. Other times, students take part in large events or projects - the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure or Ronald McDonald House, for example - sponsored by national organizations. For more information about working with students, call our Student Services office at 520-626-1427 or explore the pages which describe the local chapters of the professional, leadership and honorary organizations for pharmacy students.

PharmCamp

Early each summer, the College of Pharmacy sponsors PharmCamp for middle-school students. The one-week program introduces seventh- and eighth-graders to different health professions and helps them learn more about the roles pharmacists play in clinics, community pharmacies, hospitals and other locations. Usually the college collaborates with one or more school districts to select the  "campers."  In recent years, the program expanded to include camps in Yuma and other towns, as well the traditional Tucson event. For more information about PharmCamp, contact Associate Dean Theodore Tong.