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Senior PharmAssist provided services to a total of 298 participants during the first quarter.
Senior PharmAssist served 33 additional Medicare beneficiaries during the first quarter, and they expect to see a steady increase during Medicare’s annual election period (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7).
What
Senior PharmAssist promotes healthier living for Durham seniors by helping them obtain and better manage needed medications, and by providing health education, community referral, and advocacy. The goal of the program is to help older adults remain as healthy and independent as possible - for as long as possible. After participants work with Senior PharmAssist for two years, they report a 51 percent reduction in their rate of any hospital stays and a 27 percent decline in their rate of any emergency department use. Participants also report improved perceived health and maintain their ability to perform daily tasks. These findings were published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (Vol. 63 Feb. 15, 2006).
In 1992, a task force of the Durham County Hospital Corporation hired a pharmacist who was a graduate student from the UNC School of Public Health and who is now our Executive Director to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study for a pharmaceutical assistance program for senior adults. They concluded that two public health issues needed to be addressed:
• financial access to medications for seniors with limited incomes
• and polypharmacy - the use of multiple, sometimes unnecessary medications.
Senior PharmAssist was created to address those needs in Durham and began serving participants in June 1994 as a program of the Coordinating Council for Senior Citizens. Four years later, in need of its own funding stream, the program separated amicably from the Council to become an independent organization. From day one, Senior PharmAssist has combined user-friendly medication access with medication appropriateness to ensure that participants obtain the medicines they need and use those medications as safely, effectively, and cost-effectively as possible. Over the years, Senior PharmAssist has learned that services such as tailored referral to other community programs are a vital complement to its focus on pharmaceutical care.
In more recent years, the advent of Medicare’s drug benefit (Part D) - and now healthcare reform - has greatly altered and expanded how Senior PharmAssist helps individuals. Senior PharmAssist now devotes significant energy to helping Durham seniors and younger Medicare beneficiaries navigate the complexity of Medicare drug and health benefits, so they can annually obtain the most cost-effective coverage and overcome any obstacles they might encounter with the public-private system that delivers those benefits. In July 2010, Senior PharmAssist became the coordinating site in Durham County for the state Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). The program now helps Durham residents - including retirees on employer-sponsored health coverage - understand and make informed decisions about their existing benefits, traditional Medicare A and B, supplemental coverage, and Medicare Advantage plans - in addition to counseling about Medicare Part D.
Senior PharmAssist also advocates at the local, state, and national levels for policies that help older adults remain healthy and independent. In May 2009, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy released a report examining the impact of 13 North Carolina organizations, including Senior PharmAssist. The NCRP’s study found that for every dollar invested in the efforts of those groups studied, North Carolina residents reaped $89 in benefits.
Medication Therapy Management: Senior PharmAssist conducts regular, face-to-face medication therapy management between pharmacists trained in geriatrics and seniors and/or caregivers to ensure maximum therapeutic benefits while minimizing risks. Performed in the office or in a senior’s home, these comprehensive medication reviews include coordination with community prescribers, pharmacists, and social service providers to ensure that everyone is on the “same medication page.”
Medication Assistance: Senior PharmAssist assists individuals in obtaining needed medications via Medicare Part D and/or other sources, including drug manufacturers’ programs and Senior PharmAssist’s own financial assistance for Durham residents 60 and older. Staff and volunteers also screen participants for eligibility for state and federal prescription assistance programs.
Case Management and Counseling Regarding Health and Drug Coverage: Senior PharmAssist provides case management to help individuals understand and access the public-private system that delivers Medicare-approved drug benefits. Staff and volunteers furnish free, objective counseling to help Medicare beneficiaries make wise medical coverage decisions. This help is available to ANY Medicare beneficiary in Durham County - regardless of age or income.
Tailored Community Referrals: The program helps seniors access other valuable programs in Durham that meet their particular needs and support their independence. Popular referrals include medical transportation, home-delivered meals, and a program that helps beneficiaries with limited income pay their Medicare Part B premiums, which can save each person over $1,100 per year.
Participant Activation: Senior PharmAssist encourages seniors to be self-advocates, helping them avert medical mishaps and take more control of their own well-being.
Gina Upchurch, RPh, MPHFounder & Executive Director
Gina is the founder and executive director of Senior PharmAssist. Gina earned her bachelor of science in pharmacy and her master’s degree in public health at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also completed a residency in geriatric pharmacy practice at UNC-CH. Between degrees, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching science in Botswana. In 2001, Gina was named a Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader. In 2002 and 2006 respectively, she received the Bowl of Hygeia Award for Community Service and the Don Blanton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pharmacy from the NC Association of Pharmacists. In 2005, she earned the Eunice Tyler Award for Excellence in Public Health Education from the UNC-CH School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. More recently - in 2008 - Gina received the Power of Prevention Award from the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission for her advocacy and public policy efforts, and in 2009, earned the Jim Long Outstanding SHIIP Service Award from the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program.
Rodney MurphyAssociate Director
Rodney has a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on healthcare administration from the University of San Francisco and extensive direct service and management experience. He is supervising most of our day-to-day operations, including our Medicare insurance counseling services, and helping to strengthen community outreach.
Joe DalyDevelopment & Communications Director
Joe joined the Senior PharmAssist staff in October 2000. He graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and had previously worked in the Development Office at Peace College in Raleigh. Joe is principally responsible for coordinating and implementing our fundraising efforts; however, since it’s a “small shop,” he gets to do a little bit of everything. He even sees participants from time to time - but only to take their pictures for the newsletter!
Marilyn Disco, PharmD, CGPClinical Services Director
Marilyn graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a doctor of pharmacy degree and completed two post-graduate residencies before working for two years as a clinical pharmacist at a community health center. She is a certified geriatric pharmacist and joined the Senior PharmAssist staff in May 2003. As clinical services director, she coordinates the pharmaceutical care services provided by our program, ensuring that the participants, caregivers and healthcare providers Senior PharmAssist works with are well-served.
Dyana Morgan, MACommunity Services Director
Dyana is the newest member of Senior PharmAssist’s staff, having joined in October 2007. She holds a master’s degree in gerontology and previously managed a pilot project focused on improving medication management in the assisted living environment. Dyana oversees the program’s information and referral services, is county coordinator for the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, assists with community outreach, and is responsible for the clinic’s day-to-day operations.
Evester B. Bailey (Treasurer) Retired Mental Health Administrator
Richard M. Burton (At-large, Professor of Strategy, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University Executive Committee)
Amy R. Csorba Family Physician, Integrative Physicians
Stephen C. Dedrick Pharmacist; Director of Continuing Education, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Colleen Fitzpatrick Assistant VP, Trinity College and Undergraduate Education, Duke University
Margaret “Maggie” Gradison Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine, DUMC; (President) Medical Director, PA Program at Duke
David J. Halpern Primary Care Physician, Durham Medical Center Physician Consultant, Community Care of NC
Brenda D. Jamerson Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Clinical Research, Campbell University School of Pharmacy; Director - Clinical Research Center
Finny Joseph Pharmacy Manager and Owner, Main Street Pharmacy
Charles “Chuck” King Retired Executive VP and CEO, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation
Cheryl L. Lloyd (Secretary) LeMay and Associates Consulting and Former State Leader, Urban Programs, NC Cooperative Extension
Wendy McCorkle Former Investment Associate, Self-Help
Katherine L. McKee Attorney, Kennon, Craver, Belo, Craig & McKee, PLLC
Lisa B. Nadler Physician, Triangle Family Practice
Rosa J. Nolen Accountant; Financial Systems Access Coordinator, UNC-CH
Robert K. Otterbourg Author and Marketing Consultant
Marie H. Sappenfield (Vice Nurse President)
Margaret W. Smith Retired Family Nurse Practitioner
Gina Upchurch (non-voting) Executive Director, Senior PharmAssist
Marqueta Welton (At-large, Deputy County Manager, Durham County; Attorney Executive Committee)
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