Community Engagement - Alternative Spring Break

CSIL Alternative Spring Break (3-16-2013 to 3-21-2013)

Day 1: Grow Memphis

This spring break I decided to do something a little bit different and participated in a service learning trip to Memphis, Tennessee.  As preparation for the trip, our group of 15 students read the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.  We also met weekly for five weeks before the trip to better prepare ourselves and better understand each organization that we were helping. 

On Day 1, we did urban gardening at two different gardens.  We tilled, raked, planted trees, and put up a partial fence.  Having a large group of students allowed everyone to pick the gardening task that they were most interested in. I helped to install the fence and quickly learned that it was a little bit more complicated that it looks!  The first garden was in the initial development stage, while the second garden we helped was further along with raised beds and growing produce.  It was inspiring to help people who do this work on a daily basis and to hear from them how much they appreciated our help. 

Day 2: Hope House

On Day 2, we played with kids at Hope House, which is a day care for children affected by HIV and AIDS.  The kids were great and loved having us all there to play with them.  Some of the kids had a lot of energy and played basketball while some of the other kids were a little bit quieter and we read to them.  It was great to see all the students being really engaged with the kids and seeing some really fun personalities come out.  In the afternoon we learned more about HIV and AIDS, followed by a short ice cream break, some yard work, and more playing with the kids.  We received an email the next day saying that they kids were asking about us and that they missed playing with us.

Day 3: Friends for Life

On our last day, we helped at Friends for Life, which is a support organization for persons affected by HIV/AIDS.  While there, we helped to make safe sex kits, stock the food pantry, do yard work, and filing.  Due to the lack of funding, they had not done any filing for almost a year.  In one day, we were able to do 3 months of filing for them which is pretty incredible.  They explained to us that they especially appreciated us helping with the filing because it allows them to focus and spend more time with the people they are helping. 

As I reflect on my time in Memphis, I most importantly feel grateful to have met everyone on this trip. It was wonderful to see everyone jump in at each site and help right away.  As a group we were able to accomplish so much more in a short time than each of us could have done alone. This trip has made me appreciate all the things I have to be grateful for and has inspired me to continue to stay involved in my own community.    

Conferences & Meetings - Legislative Day

             Last week on February 28th, I had the opportunity to attend Iowa Pharmacy Association's Legislative Day at the Iowa State Capitol.  The day began with a legislative briefing to provide an overview of issues that the pharmacists and student pharmacists can discuss with their legislators. Then we heard from the newly elected House Representative member, pharmacist John Forbes about his journey to being elected  and how he is involved in health related committees and how excited he is to represent the voice of pharmacy.  Following John Forbes, everyone visited the state capitol to speak to their legislator and I had the opportunity to volunteer for Generation Rx to teach about the proper disposal of unused medications. The afternoon session included learning about medicare part D and drug shortages, medication therapy management from the service provider, government, and health insurance company perspective, followed by a session with the newly appointed Iowa Insurance Commissioner on the rules governing PBM.  The last session gave pharmacists an opportunity to voice their concerns in dealing with health insurance companies and ensuring that they they are compensated for their services. I really enjoyed attending legislative day and was able to learn more about a different area of pharmacy.  I look forward to attending again next year!