The University of the Incarnate Word’s Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) in South Texas received additional funds from the CVS Health Foundation to support Latino students pursuing pharmaceutical careers, according to an FSOP news release.

 

In 2018, FSOP received a $175,000 grant from the CVS Health Foundation to educate Latino students about boosting diversity in the pharmacy field. This summer, the San Antonio–based school received a $60,000 extension for the previous grant.

 

Over one million Latinos reside in the Rio Grande Valley, making up about 93% of the population, according to the news release. In this area, access to health care, specifically pharmacies, is scarce. What’s more, FSOP reported that annual pharmacy program applications are on the decline.

 

FSOP used the grant to host a Pharm2Table conference/workshop for prospective students and parents along with its annual PharmCAMP, both of which aim to promote careers in pharmacy among underrepresented communities.

 

“A lot of times, students don’t know the vast variety of career opportunities that you can have as a pharmacist,” said Amy Diepenbrock, PhD, associate dean of student affairs at FSOP, in the news release. “They often think of HEB or CVS, but they can be a nuclear pharmacist or a compounding pharmacist, they can work in any hospital specialization, like pediatrics and cardiology, or they can work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They often don’t see and know that until we get them in front of us to listen, though.”

 

Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States and are underrepresented in health care fields, including pharmacy. According to the CVS Health Foundation, Latinos made up only 4.5% of the 342,000 employed pharmacists across the country in 2019.

 

Additionally, the FSOP workshop provided students with information about financial aid, course descriptions and access to pre-pharmacy undergraduate academic advisers to help in their decision making.

 

The new grant will allow FSOP to maintain these programs and expand the reach of Pharm2Table to other locations throughout South Texas.

 

To read more, click #Pharmacy. There, you’ll find headlines such as “Exploring the Potential of Pharmacies to Increase Access to HIV Testing,” “U.S. Pharmacy Closures Impact Latino and Black Neighborhoods” and “As COVID Infections Rise, Nursing Homes Are Still Waiting for Vaccines.”