P.O. Box 632 Findlay, Ohio 45839 Phone: 419-420-9327

Health and Home
Findlay - Get Heartburn Smart!
By
Jun 1, 2008, 21:57

The Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy has initiated a new heartburn education campaign through the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists.  Sponsored by Procter and Gamble and conducted in cooperation with the National Heartburn Alliance, Heartburn Awareness Challenge aims to reach out to the 60 million heartburn suffers in the United States to help patients live healthier, more productive lives.  Through patient education, student pharmacists can assist heartburn sufferers to become "Heartburn Smart" by educating community members about risk factors for heartburn, lifestyle modifications to help control symptoms, and proper medication choices for heartburn management.

The ONU Heartburn Awareness Challenge has already hosted clinics in many locations in the Findlay area including Primrose Retirement Community and at Cancer Patient Services' Annual Chili Cook-Off.  The student pharmacists would love to host an education session at your next community event, local business, or organizational meeting!  ONU students participating in the patient care project are always supervised by clinical pharmacists, and ONU's program has been recognized nationally as the Region 4 Winner of Heartburn Awareness Challenge by the American Pharmacists Association. Students will be using screening surveys at the various project locations to help patients categorize the severity of their heartburn.  After the level of severity is determined, students will then have an opportunity to recommend the appropriate over-the-counter product or refer patients to their health care provider.  Besides the recommendations made, students will also have the chance to counsel patients on lifestyle modifications that can be incorporated with treatment to decrease the number and severity of heartburn episodes.

If you live in the Findlay area, and you are interested in hosting a Heartburn Awareness Challenge event in your community or would like more information regarding the program, please contact Kristen Finley, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ohio Northern University.  Dr. Finley can be reached via phone at 419-772-2569 or via e-mail at k-finley.1@onu.edu.  We look forward to seeing you at our next heartburn event!