2015 GenerationRx Awards Mark Continuation of Partnership to Prevent Prescription Drug Misuse

DUBLIN, Ohio, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 15 million people aged 12 or older using prescription drugs non-medically annually, prevention education is key to reversing the trend of misuse¹. The Cardinal Health Foundation and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently recognized pharmacists for their outstanding efforts in prescription medication misuse prevention.

During the APhA 2015 Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, the Cardinal Health Foundation and APhA awarded the fifth annual American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) GenerationRx Awards, which recognize use of the GenerationRx toolkit, a communications package including talking points, presentation materials and tips to enable users to raise awareness of prescription drug misuse in their communities.

The organizations also awarded the fourth annual APhA GenerationRx Award of Excellence, an award recognizing one pharmacist for his or her outstanding efforts in prescription medication misuse prevention.

The APhA-ASP GenerationRx award is part of a national competition among APhA-ASP chapters. This past year, student pharmacists from 82 chapters conducted more than 800 GenerationRx presentations and educated more than 134,000 children, teens, college students and adults. More than 12.7 million people were reached via public relations outreach.

The 2015 APhA-ASP GenerationRx national and regional awards were presented during the APhA-ASP Opening General Session. The chapters honored in this year's competition were:

National Award: East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy
National 1st Runner-Up Award: University of Florida College of Pharmacy
National 2nd Runner-Up Award: The University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy
Region 1 Award: MCPHS University - Boston
Region 2 Award: University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Region 3 Award: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
Region 4 Award: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy
Region 5 Award: Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Region 6 Award: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy
Region 7 Award: Idaho State University College of Pharmacy
Region 8 Award: University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

"We believe that pharmacists and student pharmacists can play an important role in helping parents, educators, community leaders and teens better understand the dangers of prescription drug misuse," said Betsy Walker, Cardinal Health Director of Community Relations, "and we're pleased to work in collaboration with APhA to recognize the work Dr. Painter and these student chapters have done to help prevent prescription drug misuse."

The 2015 recipient of the APhA GenerationRx Award of Excellence is Nathan A. Painter, PharmD, CDE, of La Jolla, California. Painter was selected in recognition of his commitment to community partnerships and interprofessional collaboration in providing substance misuse education. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where he manages a pharmacist-run clinic for patients with chronic diseases. Painter serves as the faculty advisor for UCSD's APhA - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) GenerationRx activities and created a prescription drug misuse elective course. He is an active member of the San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force and has collaborated on an interprofessional team to evaluate the state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

"We are extremely excited to recognize Dr. Painter for his commitment to educating student pharmacists on the dangers of prescription drug misuse, and for serving as a leader in his local community," said Elizabeth Cardello, BPharm, APhA Director of Corporate Alliances.

The awards mark a continuation of the APhA and Cardinal Health Foundation partnership to prevent the misuse of prescription medications. The organizations work together to provide a comprehensive education program to aid pharmacists and student pharmacists in educating their communities about the dangers of prescription drug misuse.

About the Cardinal Health Foundation
The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and excellence and the overall wellness of the communities where Cardinal Health's (NYSE:CAH) 30,000 employees live and work. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage community service among its employees and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster. To learn more, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/community.

About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA), founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. To learn more, visit www.pharmacist.com.

About APhA-ASP
The American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) is the student pharmacist section of APhA, representing student pharmacists at every school and college of pharmacy in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is the largest student pharmacy organization nationwide. The mission of APhA-ASP is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, to improve patient care, and to envision and advance the future of pharmacy. To learn more, visit www.pharmacist.com/apha-asp.

¹ "Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse," Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 9/29/2014. http://www.samhsa.gov/prescription-drug-misuse-abuse.

SOURCE Cardinal Health Foundation

Related Links

http://www.cardinalhealth.com/us/en/communityrelations

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