Submitted by: Sarah Paiement

       This has been a very busy year for the Wingate University School of Pharmacy chapter of APhA-ASP. One event however, has stuck out in the minds of everyone who was involved. Last fall our chapter partnered with the WUSOP Student Senate and various other student organizations to hold a health fair at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, a local homeless shelter. This health fair was an attempt to reach out to an under-served population, a change from previous health fairs.

        At the health fair we were able to provide a variety of health services, free of charge. These services included blood pressure screenings, blood glucose readings, DEXA scans, and flu shots. The flu shots were provided by Walgreens, and a total of 60 homeless men were immunized that day. In addition to the health services, student pharmacists were given the opportunity to practice their counseling skills by providing counseling on hypertension, heart health, diabetes, smoking cessation, over the counter medications, osteoporosis prevention, and how to differentiate between heartburn and a heart attack. The residents of the shelter who received health screenings and education were also given a “goody bag” filled with snacks, dental care items, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, hand sanitizer, TUMs, and clean socks.

       Not only were our student pharmacists able to have a huge impact on the men of the shelter, they had a tremendous impact on the students. Several students reported receiving hugs and heartfelt thanks from the patients, which aren’t often received from the patients that we interact with. Overall this event was a massive success, and is definitely something WUSOP would recommend to any chapter. It was a truly eye-opening event, and can hopefully be carried on in the future.