Organization:
West Side Community Health Services (WSCHS) is the largest community clinic organization in Minnesota, with multiple locations in the metro area. We provide innovative and multicultural / multilingual health care services and education to immigrant and low-income communities.
Our Mission: Caring for the Health of Diverse Communities.
Our Patients: In 2006 over 35,000 patients were served, half of which were Latino. Over 80% were below 200% of poverty, and nearly half did not have health insurance. Most (84%) were from communities of color, and 54% had a primary language other than English.
Our Services: We provide comprehensive health care and social services with bilingual/bicultural staff on a sliding fee scale. Besides primary and urgent care, we have specific programs for adolescent health, dental care, diabetes, eviction prevention, family planning, family support and mental health counseling, health education, HIV care, nutrition, pharmacy, prenatal care, senior care, well child care, and women’s health.
Our locations include, East Side Family Clinic, Health Care for the Homeless, Health Start, Helping Hand Dental Clinic, House Calls, La Clinica, McDonogh Homes and West Side Dental Clinic. See www.westsidechs.org for more information.
Pharmacy Services:
Pharmacy services began in 2001 as part of the University of Minnesota residency program. From the beginning, our philosophy h been the pharmaceutical care described by Hepler and Strand. We strive to ensure our patients’ medications are indicated, effective, safe and convenient and that our patients’ understanding, expectations and concerns are addressed.
Our program started with clinical services provided by Dan Rehrauer. A year later, a dispensing pharmacy opened in a 10x12 space. Both services have greatly expanded since then. We now provide MTM at both the West Side and East Side locations. Besides MTM, other clinical responsibilities include anticoagulation monitoring, blood pressure monitoring and insulin/injection teaching. The clinical pharmacists are also involved with the specialty clinics, including diabetes, geriatrics and HIV. Our role in HIV includes extensive adherence programs and monitoring. Lastly, we serve as a resource to our providers for pharmacotherapy questions and education.
Like our clinical services, the dispensing pharmacy has also grown. Since its first year, it has tripled in size and staff and there are plans for more expansion. The dispensing is unique in that we use several programs to increase affordibilty. Our superb technicians manage most of these programs so that the dispensing pharmacist is able to focus on preventing and solving drug therapy problems.
Resident’s Educational Experience:
The West Side resident typically spends four days in clinic, and one day dispensing. On average, clinic days usually have 1 initial MTM, 2 anticoagulation patients, and 2 MTM follow ups. However, the days vary greatly. In addition to reviewing each days’ patients with the preceptor, more complete case presentations for all MTM patients are also done the following day. This typically results in a “Q&A” review of the resident’s pharmacotherapy knowledge. Resident’s are also resposible for answering many of the daily drug therapy questions from providers.
Every week, all the pharmacists and students participate in journal club at the local coffee shop. Each article is summarized by the person who chose it and these are included in the pharmacy newsletter sent to our providers. The resident also writes 2-3 “Therapeuti c Thoughts” for the newsletter throughout the year and gives 2-3 pharmacotherapy talks.
As the year progresses, residents are given more responisibility precepting students and in specialty clinics (HIV, geriatrics, diabetes). There is also atleast one quality improvement project, but the resident may be involved in more administration processes if desired.
In addition to the activities at the University, the resident may elect to teach a lab also. Typically, West Side residents teach in the spring only, but that is up to the resident.
Site Coordinator:
Dan graduated in 2000 with a PharmD degree from the University of Minnesota-College of Pharmacy. He completed a 2 year Pharmaceutical Care and Leadership Residency where in his second year he established pharmacy services at West Side. He was hired upon completion of his residency and continues as the lead pharmacist here. In 2004 the pharmacy program was recognized by the Minnesota Pharmacists Association with the “Innovative Pharmacy Practice” award. Dan has served as a formulary committee member for the Minnesota Department of Human Services AIDS Drug Assistance Program since 2003 and as Prime Vendor Program Community Health Center Advisory Council Member since 2005. He is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and an active member in MPhA.
Despite these achievements, Dan’s best-known trait is still his sarcasm. However, he also stands out at West Side as a Packer fan, a fact not yet forgiven by our medical director. His other great passion is his cabin in Wisconsin (ie. “the best place on earth”), where he spends nearly every weekend with his wife and two girls.
Additional Preceptors:
Aimee Husom graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Pharm.D in May 2006 and completed her residency at West Side in 2007. After a short delay, she then became the primary HIV pharmacist at West Side. In this new position, she will expand and improve our current adherence programs throughout the Twin Cities. Aimee also has an Associate of Arts Degree and Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. After receiving her Bachelor’s, she was involved in several areas of research, with rainforest ecology being a favorite. She worked as an Assistant Scientist at the University of Minnesota completing several manuscripts about her protein biochemistry research. She continued her research throughout pharmacy school, while also getting community and hospital pharmacy experience. As a pharmacy student, she was involved in MPSA and acted as a coordinator for Operation Immunization.
Whenever Aimee is not at West Side, she’s travelling. She frequently makes us envious with pictures of Italy, Australia and now talk of Africa. When she is in the United States, she alternates her time between fine dining and running. She’s frequently in long distance races, and has even persuaded other co-workers to race with her.
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