Triple Crowned 

UHCOP Chapter Wins 3rd Consecutive Regional APhA-ASP Operation Diabetes Award

Through a mix of hands-on screenings, one-on-one and group presentations, and social media activities, the UH College of Pharmacy Chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists' messages about preventing and managing diabetes reached more than 6,700 people over the course of the 2017-18 academic year.

The chapter's activities were so impressive that it was recognized with its third consecutive Operations Diabetes Award at the APhA-ASP Region 6 Midyear Regional Meeting Oct. 12-14 in St. Louis, Mo.

Over the course of hosting or participating in 32 events during the year, the Operation Diabetes team provided more than 1,000 blood glucose screenings and 42 diabetic foot exams as well as presented risk reduction/disease management education to more than 1,600 individuals.

The program chairs and members made a deliberate effort to increase the chapter’s support of American Diabetes Association initiatives, including the national APhA-ASP organization’s partnership with Walmart for a wellness day that included more than 40 UHCOP Pharm.D. students providing screenings and education to 600 individuals at more than 20 Greater Houston-area stores.

The chapter also joined forces with the UH College of Optometry, UH School of Nursing and fellow UHCOP organization Student National Pharmaceutical Association for an interprofessional health fair to mark World Diabetes Day.

In addition, chapter members reworked some of their most popular and thought-provoking outreach materials, including the "Rethink Your Drink" board, a display of various popular drinks and the amount of sugar content in granular form for each beverage, and the "My Plate Activity," a display – along with a coloring book, for children – in which participants mix and match laminated images of food on top of a plate to understand how they can improve their current diet with healthier choices.

The Operation Diabetes team also promoted its initiatives heavily on social media, including creating a video series focusing on healthy recipes and an exercise video to celebrate the ADA’s "National Get Fit Don’t Sit Day." The social media campaigns resulted in a combined "reach" of nearly 4,000 people, per impact metrics.