Dawn BonkerImagine stopping by your pharmacist at lunch for a flu shot or swinging by after work to get help with smoking cessation products or ask a question about a new medication. Sounds great, but too much traffic and trouble, you say? Not if the pharmacy is close to the office.
PrescribeWellness and Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy (CUSP) recently opened just such a pharmacy. The PrescribeWellness Center on the school’s Irvine campus is designed to deliver advanced pharmacy services to nearby businesses and their employees to help people develop and maintain their wellness.
Organizers envision it as a model for how pharmacists can be part of a total healthcare team and serve people where they are.
“We’re so honored and privileged to participate with the University and create a demonstration for the new and expanded role of pharmacy in America,” PrescribeWellness CEO Al Babbington said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new venture.
The center will also operate as a learning laboratory and “pharmacy of the future” for CUSP students, who are entering a field in which their clinical services will be key to healthcare delivery.
“The PrescribeWellness Center at CUSP is not only a tremendous service to the community, but it shows the strength of Chapman’s growth trajectory in health and pharmaceutical sciences,” said Ron Jordan, R.Ph. FAPhA, founding dean of Chapman’s School of Pharmacy. “Chapman’s School of Pharmacy is committed to creating practice-ready graduates who are well-equipped to serve as vital members in team-based patient care.”
Among the services the center offers are:
- Vaccinations and flu shots
- Travel health consulting
- Family planning consulting
- Smoking cessation support
- A wellness concierge
The appointment-based pharmacy is at the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, 9501 Jeronimo Rd. Appointments may be requested online.
Display image at top/Celebrating the center’s opening are, from left, Professor Albert Bach, Dr. Poonam Gandhi from PrescribeWellness, CUSP Dean Ron Jordan, PrescribeWellness CEO Al Babbington and Professor Jeff Goad.
