Drake University pharmacy students are hosting two events this October to raise awareness regarding the importance of taking medicine as directed. Both events are focused on the Drake community.
Students will host a campus-wide “Test Your Health” fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 22 in Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. The fair will include bone density, cholesterol and blood glucose screenings, as well as education on vaccinations, medication disposal and medication adherence.
A second event, the “Running of the White Coats,” will take place at 4 p.m. on October 26. The Running of the White Coats fun run will begin at Cline Hall, 2802 Forest Ave., and continue through campus.
To celebrate American Pharmacists Month, Drake University pharmacy students are promoting Script Your Future (SYF), a new national campaign to increase medication adherence. Students will be providing educational materials for SYF at the health fair and at the fun run.
The National Consumers League leads the SYF campaign, which is gaining support from colleges of pharmacy across the country. The goal of the campaign is to encourage patients to talk to their doctors about their medications and to know the correct instructions for taking them. According to the initiative, as many as 125,000 people die each year because they did not take their medication as directed.
At the Running of the White Coats, hosted by the Rho Chi Society, student pharmacists, pre-pharmacy students and pharmacy faculty will promote pharmacists as active health care providers as they run across campus and hand out information to those they pass along the way.
While students are working especially hard to promote SYF this month, they will continue to spread the message of medication adherence throughout the year.