Development and implementation of a pharmacist-managed university-based wellness center.

Objective: To describe the development and implementation of a pharmacist-managed wellness center based on campus within a school of pharmacy.

Setting: Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy, located in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Practice Description: University-based employee wellness center, the Academic Research Center for Pharmacy Care, located within a school of pharmacy staffed by clinical practice faculty and student pharmacists.

Practice Innovation: The campus-based wellness practice integrates public health activities into the pharmacy school curriculum and provides a model that can be adapted for other ambulatory and community practices.

Interventions: Referral of clients to primary care providers following identification of risk for disease.

Main Outcome Measures: Number of screenings; number of clients identified with elevated cholesterol, blood glucose (BG), blood pressure, or weight and referred to primary care providers; and number of student pharmacists participating in wellness experiential rotations.

Results: The center conducted more than 19,000 individual screenings on campus, in neighboring communities, and in the western Pennsylvania region from October 2002 through May 2006. During the period July 2005 through May 2006, 16% of those screened required referral for elevated blood pressure (>140/90 mm Hg), 23% required referral for elevated total cholesterol (> 200 mg/dL, the population covers ages 20 to over 70 years), 8% required referral for elevated BG (fasting BG > or =100 mg/dL or nonfasting BG > or =200mg/dL), 43% required referral for low bone density (T-score < or =-1), 21% required referral for abnormal skin findings ranging from dryness to suspicious markings, and 26% required referral for body mass index (> or =30 kg/m2). A total of 70 student pharmacists, divided among two full-time clinical practice faculty, have participated in the wellness clinical rotation since 2004.

Conclusion: Pharmacists can successfully direct public heath initiatives such as wellness and health promotion programs in an employee-based health center, in the community, and in community pharmacies. Pharmacists are able to identify primary preventive patients for referral to other health care providers.