Taking healthcare to the streets
Student pharmacy society NAPHASS took their skills to the Byblos community, increasing awareness and conducting medical checkups.
The No Apathy-Pharmacy and Health Awareness Student Society (NAPHASS) has a reputation for taking the knowledge and skills they learn in the classroom and applying it to the community. According to Dr. Wijdan Ramadan, NAPHASS advisor and clinical assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy, one important role of the pharmacist is providing patients with health monitoring and advices. “Increasing health awareness and the direct interaction of patients and pharmacists is of benefit to all involved, every single time,” she explains.
Earlier this semester, the pharmacy students and faculty collaborated with the Byblos municipality to create a health day, raising awareness about the medical problems of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. NAPHASS took to the streets of Byblos, and set up booths on the Roman Road, each manned by three pharmacy students and a faculty member.
Over 300 people from Byblos took part in the event as patients. They went through all five booths, where their blood pressure and cholesterol and glucose levels were measured, and received personalized counseling about their medical conditions, medications, lifestyle and diet.
For NAPHASS president Pharmacy student Diana Tamer, the goal behind this event was to raise health awareness among residents of Byblos and to encourage pharmacy colleagues to volunteer and employ their counseling skills on real patients. In her opinion, “we succeeded! It was nice to work closely as a group creating a free clinic in the heart of Byblos and supporting all each other as part of one community: LAU’s future pharmacists.”
Vice President of the Byblos Municipality Board Ayoub Bark expressed his appreciation for a job well done, and his desire to collaborate with LAU again in the near future.
At the first station, NAPHASS members began putting together a patient medical profile.
The patients had their blood pressure measured in the second booth, and the measurements were duly noted.
At the third station, the pharmacy students determined the blood glucose levels of the patients.
Next, under the supervision of NAPHASS advisor Dr. Wijdan Ramadan, the blood cholesterol levels were gauged before sending the patients to the last station with a complete medical report.
At the fifth and final station, pharmacy students counseled the patients about their medical conditions, home medications, lifestyle and diet.
NAPHASS members and their advisor Dr. Wijdan Ramadan take a quick break and a group picture.
This spring, NAPHASS also organized a cosmetics day with Pharmamedic group and Valmy International Beauty Academy where they provided makeup stations and a facial spa as well as explaining the details of skin care. Over 2500 people attended!
A scene from cosmetics day. Samples and beauty advice were dispersed.