Hana Hasan and Jasmin Ali are third-year PharmD candidates at the Temple University School of Pharmacy.
The Pharmacists in Public Health Student Organization (PPHSO) at Temple University is dedicated to the advancement of quality and accessibility of patient care as provided by pharmacists. Tackling stigmas, advocating for marginalized groups, and bringing awareness to inequitable conditions are some of the overarching goals that our organization aims to achieve at our events.
The fall 2023 semester brought several events to life. From our first ever vaccine clinic at a local mosque to our sexual health resource table in North Philadelphia, we’ve had the opportunity to reach a great number of people within the community. Being able to bring resources to the underserved communities that need them has allowed us to better connect with the most vulnerable groups within our future patient population.
Mission Kensington
Our Mission Kensington event was done in collaboration with Kappa Psi and the Department of Public Health Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPR) group. The event took place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, in Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Our mission was to help the unhoused population in Kensington by providing resources for the winter. We collected winter clothes via donation, and PPHSO President-Elect Lauren Culbert started a GoFundMe page and was able to purchase 80 blankets that we also distributed. From the Department of Public Health, we received an ample number of masks and Narcan. Lastly, Kappa Psi worked very closely with Jenna’s Blessing Bags to get about 40 to 50 premade bags with a variety of resources that we also handed out.
Members from the SUPR group demonstrated how to properly hand out Narcan in a way that combats the stigma surrounding it. Having the opportunity to witness these living conditions was very eye-opening. We typically just hear about it, but the brothers got to see it firsthand and were speechless from what they saw.
A humbling experience
This was one of the most humbling events we have hosted this semester, and one about which we received a lot of positive feedback. It was also a great way to interact with one of the most vulnerable population groups in the city. We were able to experience Kensington firsthand and saw the true effects of the opioid epidemic just 10 minutes away from Temple University in Philadelphia.
As future pharmacists, it is important for us to connect and understand the gaps in patient care and how we can make a difference. We are collaborating with Kappa Psi again to host another event just like this to continue to help keep everyone safe.
What you can do
As student pharmacists, it’s our responsibility to understand our different patient populations in order to provide the best care possible. We hope that the success of this event encourages you all as student pharmacists and APhA–ASP members to go out into your own communities and give back! Find the individualized gaps in care throughout the country and be the resource that people need.