Author: Winter Roth, PharmD, BCPP
This year, AAPP has introduced two collegiate chapter awards–Chapter of the Year and Outstanding Community Service. We are excited to highlight the exceptional work of the Nova Southeastern University AAPP student chapter as this year’s Outstanding Community Service Award recipient!
The Nova AAPP Chapter served as the lead organization for a mental health awareness fair, managing its planning, coordination, and execution from start to finish, while collaborating with other student pharmacist organizations. This is an event that the chapter has previously organized and used previous experiences to “expand collaborations, increase student and community involvement, create more opportunities to promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma on campus”.
Chapter members contacted local vendors, recruited faculty and student volunteers, coordinated participating organizations, secured food trucks, ordered event T-shirts, promoted the event, and oversaw on-site logistics. Ultimately, this event reached more than 200 students, faculty, staff, and community members and demonstrated the chapter’s commitment to 1) advancing mental health awareness and 2) expanding access to health education and community resources.
Cross-collaboration was one of the most important aspects of executing this type of event. This cross-collaboration “required frequent communication, delegation of responsibilities, coordination of volunteers, and flexibility throughout the planning process”. The Nova AAPP student chapter collaborated with organizations such as Phi Delta Chi and SNPhA to bring additional resources and incorporate health education for the community. To help support the event, the chapter utilized funding available through their student AAPP organization but also leveraged relationships with community organizations, vendors, and other partners to increase available funding.
The fair offered attendees a variety of educational and preventive services. Participants had access to depression and anxiety screenings, mental health and wellness resources, and information about available community services. Student pharmacists provided education on antidepressants, insomnia, melatonin, and other topics related to mental wellness and medication use. Additionally, naloxone was distributed, giving attendees access to an important harm-reduction resource and creating opportunities to discuss overdose prevention and substance use.
Before, during, and after this event, the value of psychiatric pharmacy was promoted. Chapter members helped normalize conversations about mental health, reduce stigma, and increase awareness of treatment and support options. Student pharmacists demonstrated pharmacists’ contribution to early identification of psychiatric illness, medication education, harm reduction, and connections to care.
For other chapters who may want to plan an activity like this in the future, “our advice is to start planning early and involve other organizations from the beginning. It is important to clearly divide responsibilities among organizations and establish consistent communication. Chapters should focus on creating an event that is meaningful and engaging for students rather than simply having informational tables. Incorporating interactive activities, community resources, and opportunities for students to connect with one another can make the event more impactful”.
The Nova AAPP student chapter leadership exemplifies the spirit of the Outstanding Community Service Award and the positive impact student pharmacists can have on mental health and wellness.
AAPP is excited to continue to honor and highlight the inspiring work of student chapters in future years!