The pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and staff at Waterfront Family Pharmacy have been working very hard over the course of June 2021 to implement many of the goals that have been set over the previous quarter. We were able to collect A1c levels for at least 20 patients. It is our intention to continue to work closely with providers across the surrounding area to make therapy recommendations when applicable.
One of our goals at Waterfront Family Pharmacy is to focus on obtaining accurate lab values for our patients. Our resident and pharmacy champion, Dr. Kara Kozul, said “We primarily communicate with prescribers by sending fax requests but may also directly call prescribers when necessary. Normally, after faxing a request two times, we will then call the provider to request lab values. We are fortunate to have close relationships with pharmacists within the West Virginia University Medicine system to directly request lab values from providers.”
We have begun implementing the “Know Your Numbers” campaign at the pharmacy. To promote this to our patients, a video was made and posted to our pharmacy’s Facebook page. The goal of this video is to emphasize to our patients the importance of knowing their “numbers” like A1c, blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. We feel that it is important for patients to know their lab values, as it will allow them to be more proactive in their care and allow us to help better manage their conditions. Additionally, we are currently advertising free blood pressure screenings in the pharmacy. The pharmacists and student pharmacists at Waterfront Family Pharmacists are providing these at any time to patients that come into the pharmacy wanting their blood pressure taken.
At Waterfront Family Pharmacy, these changes are primarily being initiated by Dr. Kozul. She stated, “As a community-based pharmacy resident, I serve the role of the pharmacy champion and work with the rest of my pharmacy team to implement change monthly and make any changes when necessary.” Dr. Kozul works closely with the staff pharmacists, technicians, pharmacy interns, and Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences/Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences students to not only establish change, but also ensure that it is sustainable and is monitored over time. When asked about the success of the changes at Waterfront, Dr. Kozul said, “Our interns and student pharmacists are an invaluable resource and are one of the main reasons why implementing monthly change packages has been so successful.”
Written on behalf of Team CPESN West Virginia by Megan Boniti, PharmD Candidate, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy based on her interview of Waterfront Family Pharmacy champion, Dr. Kara Kozul.

love how you are using social media to reach patients and educate them about their lab values!