The NACDS Foundation recently launched nearly $2 million in support of new research projects that seek to address gaps in healthcare access, especially in vulnerable and underserved populations.
The NACDS Foundation announced that it would be awarding $1 million in grants in support of two innovative research projects that seek to address at least one of the following issues: enhancing access to mental health screening and support; implementing innovative approaches to chronic disease prevention and management; and preventing and reducing impact from infectious diseases.
The first awardee — Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy — is launching a project titled, “Implementation of HIV Screening, Prevention and Harm Reduction for Vulnerable Populations.” It will aim to improve access to HIV screening, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and relevant wraparound interventions through community pharmacies — with a particular focus on reaching vulnerable, at-risk minority populations in California.
The School of Pharmacy will receive a prospective research grant in the amount of $750,000.
The second awardee — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy — is launching research, “Evaluating Access to Childhood Vaccines Through Rural Community Pharmacies,” that aims to estimate the health and broad economic outcomes associated with community pharmacy administration of COVID-19 vaccines to children in rural North Carolina. It will also assess the patient and public health successes and challenges when utilizing community pharmacies to administer all childhood vaccines to rural North Carolina populations.
The School of Pharmacy will receive a retrospective research grant in the amount of $250,000.
The NACDS Foundation also recently announced the national expansion of Project Lifeline, a 15-month community partnership and research program led by the University of Pittsburgh’s Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) to address substance use disorder (SUD).
The NACDS Foundation is committing $900,000 to the project extension.
Project Lifeline is a multi-pronged public health initiative providing educational and technical support to community pharmacies and pharmacy teams implementing evidence-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) services for SUD and opioid use disorder (OUD) among at-risk populations — and offering harm reduction support and wraparound care, such as administering vaccinations, providing referrals for HIV testing and promoting access to naloxone.
The NACDS Foundation prioritizes forward-thinking, community-focused projects that address gaps in healthcare access, especially in vulnerable and underserved populations. Additionally, the NACDS Foundation seeks to explore new care delivery models that have the potential to uncover solutions to the most pressing public health issues through dissemination of research findings.
The NACDS Foundation looks forward to bringing the NACDS Foundation Dinner, in its 25th Anniversary year, to the energetic and high-profile value of the NACDS Total Store Expo. This move will empower the continued expansion of the NACDS Foundation’s reach for the ultimate benefit of the American public.
Find out more at https://www.nacdsfoundation.org.
