Kelly Cochran, PharmD, BCPS, presented a continuing education session titled: Pharm to Farm: Making Clinical Pharmacy Services Accessible to Missouri Farmers, on September 9th at the Missouri Pharmacy Association Annual Conference in Osage Beach, MO. This seminar educated 70 pharmacists about their opportunities to serve as partners in agricultural health and safety. The session familiarized them with current literature about medication classes which may pose risk for agricultural injury, and described techniques pharmacists can incorporate into their practice and resources available to meet the healthcare needs of Missouri farmers. Pharm to Farm, a program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy and Missouri AgrAbility Project partner, was described as a mechanism for outreach. Resources were provided to Missouri pharmacists to be used at their rural pharmacies, including Missouri AgrAbility Project, agricultural medicine courses/certificates and the AgriSafe program. After the session, 14 pharmacists expressed interest in further resourcing and education to meet the healthcare needs of farmers.
Kelly Cochran presented an awareness session to University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy at MU students titled Pharm to Farm: Making Clinical Pharmacy Services Accessible to Missouri Farmers. Forty student pharmacists attended the session to learn about opportunities to engage with Pharm to Farm, a partner of Missouri AgrAbility Project, to prevent secondary injury through onsite farmstead medication assessments as well as through rural wellness outreach and education. They were oriented to the resources of Missouri AgrAbility Project, agricultural medicine courses/certificates, and the AgriSafe program. Each student was provided with Missouri AgrAbility Project flyers to share with potential clients at their pharmacies throughout Mid-Missouri. Ten students expressed interest in future involvement with Pharm to Farm and Missouri AgrAbility Project.
Kelly Cochran presented a seminar session titled: Training Student Pharmacists to Become Partners in Agricultural Health and Safety at the Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety & Health Conference in Sioux Center, Iowa, on November 15, 2016. The presentation educated attendees about the potential benefits of delivery of pharmacy services in rural communities, in particular through the model of Pharm to Farm, to prevent medication-related secondary injuries. The session provided attendees with examples of how student pharmacists can be equipped with skills to become partners in agricultural health and safety, such as increased confidence in communication with rural populations, increased confidence in educating farmers/ranchers about their conditions/disabilities, and increased confidence in referring clients to resources like Missouri AgrAbility Project. Examples of quotes from student pharmacists describing their clinical knowledge gained through Pharm to Farm experience included: "I learned classes of medication and disease states that can contribute to greater risk of secondary injury in farming population..." and quotes describing skills gained: "I learned how to communicate medication information with reluctant farmers/ranchers..."
Submitted by Kelly Cochran
The Brain Injury Association of Missouri (BIA-MO) featured the Missouri AgrAbility Project as the rural track sponsor at our 12th Annual Statewide Professional Conference that was held October 13 -15, 2016, in St. Charles, Missouri. This focus included the self-employment option of farming or ranching for survivors of brain injury. Other discussions included telehealth care for individuals in rural communities across Missouri, neuro-imaging of veterans with brain injury, and tips for survivors of brain injury and their families to adjust to relationship changes following an accident on the farm, ranch, or elsewhere.
Submitted by Maureen Cunningham