CEDARVILLE, OHIO, Feb. 09 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dr. Andrew Straw, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice, along with two of his Cedarville University pharmacy students, recently developed a smoking cessation program for use in pharmacies nationwide. The innovative project is in collaboration with the Cedarville Center for Pharmaceutical Innovation (CPI) and the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA).
This training, which guides pharmacists in preparing their practices to administer smoking cessation services, was used to support evidence promoting pharmacist-led smoking cessation services in the 2022-23 Budget Bill. Ohio. This legislation simplified the process for pharmacists to order nicotine replacement therapies and over-the-counter treatments without a prescription and in partnership with a doctor.
The grant administration that funded this project was Dr. Myriam Shaw Ojeda, assistant professor and director of pharmaceutical extension and public health initiatives at the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and the Ohio Pharmacists Association. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2019 from Cedarville, then served until 2021 as a Policy and Innovation Fellow at the OPA.
Shaw Ojeda and OPA partnered with Cedarville to create the training resources. Dr. Justin Cole, Director and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of CPI, helped facilitate the partnership. Straw used his experience working at Rocking Horse Community Health Center in Springfield, Ohio to develop the program.
As part of the development process, Straw taught the virtual program. Others who taught the material included Dr. Erin Hanson, then a pharmacy resident at Rocking Horse, and Dr. Katie Perry, then a community pharmacy practice researcher at Cedarville.
Two Cedarville pharmacy students and CPI interns, fourth-year student Matt Merical of Centerville, Ohio, and freshman Luke O’Brien of Powell, Ohio, researched pharmacy practices in d other states to determine how they are implementing smoking cessation programs. They also promoted the program and rated the pharmacists on the usefulness of the program.
On the advocacy front, Shaw Ojeda testified before the Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee before the vote on the budget bill. She also provided written commentary on the rules surrounding the legislation to the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy affirming the positive role pharmacists could play in providing smoking cessation services.
Pharmacists across the United States have already benefited from this smoking cessation training.
“Our pharmacists are trained and highly qualified to support the needs of our patients,” Shaw Ojeda said. “A lot of our pharmacists just need the tools to know what they can recommend and even how to set up their pharmacies, so they have the time to provide those services.”
Educational resources include three one-hour sessions, which are available for pharmacists and pharmacy students to purchase on ohiopharmacists.org under the “Continuing Education” page. For more from Straw, Shaw Ojeda, Merical and Cole on developing the smoking cessation program, listen to Episode 14 of CPI’s DISRxUPT podcast.
Located in southwestern Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,715 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 subject areas. ‘studies. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of Ohio’s largest private universities, nationally recognized for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs including the Doctor of Pharmacy program, strong graduation rates and retention, its accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement. ranking. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.
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Dr Andrew Straw
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Dr. Myriam Shaw Ojeda
