In a change that more accurately and effectively describes the scope of work and services it provides, The Sullivan University College of Pharmacy INCAPS program has changed its name to The Center for Health & Wellness at Sullivan University.

The Center for Health & Wellness is a licensed healthcare facility at Sullivan’s College of Pharmacy. Its mission is to empower health care professionals and individual patients to enhance their Health & Wellness through innovative and interprofessional health education and care. The Center collaborates with businesses, healthcare providers in the community, and insurance plans to optimize medication therapy, improve disease management, and promote better health and wellness.

“The health care system of tomorrow is not one that revolves around a doctor’s office or a pharmacy, it revolves around the patient,” said The Center’s Director Dr. BC Childress, Pharm.D, BCACP, FASCP, LDE. “The Center for Health & Wellness is leading the charge in the changing face of interprofessional, patient-centered healthcare. We work side by side with other professions, and we take our services directly to patients through wellness programs, immunizations, smoking cessation classes, diabetes management, medication counseling and more.

The Center is part of national trend of the changing role of the traditional pharmacy, taking care directly into the community, visiting and interacting with patients at their homes or at local health fairs and other events and locations.

“We incorporate pharmacy students and residents in all that we do, and we emphasize the importance of learning how to provide patient-centered care solutions as part of an interprofessional team” Dr. Childress said. “We are building health care teams that include medical, nursing, and pharmacy expertise, and we are shifting the focus of care to preventive health and overall wellbeing. We are working with various professions with the common goal to empower patients to take control of their health.”

The Center for Health & Wellness delivers three major areas of health services:

Medication Therapy Management, or MTM: 

MTM services can improve patient adherence, lower health-related costs, improve quality of life, and minimize the adverse effects of medications. MTM services include:

• Medication check-ups.
• Patient education.
• Disease state management.
• Point of care tests for diabetes, cholesterol, COPD/Asthma, high blood pressure and others upon patient request.

In 2013, The Center for Health & Wellness performed more than 2,000 MTM services for patients throughout the community.

Immunizations

The Center for Health & Wellness offers immunizations to adults of all ages, providing the following vaccines: Flu; pneumonia; shingles; tetanus; pertussis; HPV; Hepatitis A; and Hepatitis B.

Wellness Programs

The Center for Health & Wellness offers multiple services to enhance the quality of life, prevent disease, and manage chronic health problems. Wellness services include:

• Smoking cessation programs
• Diabetes management
• Weight management programs
• Cholesterol management
• Blood pressure management
• Anticoagulation monitoring

“As healthcare has evolved, the pharmacist has now become widely seen as the most accessible of all healthcare providers,” Dr. Childress said. “With this accessibility, many patients, insurance companies and other healthcare providers have begun to recognize the potential impact pharmacists can have in improving patient care. We can work with other health professions and make a real impact on the lives of patients.”