Public Health Pharmacy Team Addresses Patient Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic

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ACCP member Katie E. Cardone, Pharm.D., BCACP, FCCP, Associate Professor and Pharm.D. Program Director at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS), reports on the ACPHS Collaboratory, a public health space in a medically underserved area. With an interdisciplinary leadership team of Population Health Sciences and Pharmacy Practice faculty, services focus on social and health needs, and are delivered by a public health pharmacy team (PHPT) and community health workers. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, patient needs have been addressed through virtual, telephonic, and home visits. The PHPT addresses medication access, educates patients about HIV and behavioral health treatments, monitors hypertension and diabetes control, and performs screening for social determinants of health. Since the pandemic began, the PHPT has identified more than 400 households as food insecure and arranged for pantry deliveries. When residents of shelters and transitional housing found a volunteer clinic temporarily closed due to COVID, the PHPT ensured that they remained connected to pharmacy and healthcare services by delivering iPads for video conferencing.