In 2007 APhA-ASP and Pharmacy Services Support Center (PSSC) in collaboration with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), relaunched the APhA-ASP/PSSC awards program with a new name and a new message to better reflect the mission of the program. Project CHANCE: Chapters Helping Advocate for Needy Community Everywhere encourages student pharmacists to develop a community outreach project in a 340B entity setting. A 340B-eligible entity is one that is covered under a program created by the Veterans’ Health Care Act of 1992 that requires drug manufacturers to provide certain drugs to covered entities at reduced prices. 340B entities provide medical and pharmacy services to many underserved patients.

Student pharmacists are encouraged to develop a project that will provide pharmacy services and be significant to a community health center or clinic and its patients. The health center or clinic must either be a participant in the HRSA 340-B drug pricing program or a 340-B eligible entity.

The need for comprehensive pharmacy services has increased due to the complexity and costs of medications. Pharmacy services, including the provision of medications and pharmaceutical care, are important factors in providing cost-effective health care. However, because of resource issues or lack of knowledge about the value of pharmacy, many 340B-covered entities do not provide pharmaceutical services to their patients or may only provide a limited number of medications or samples to the most needy.

APhA-ASP is pleased to announce ten APhA-ASP Chapters have been awarded $2,000 for outstanding proposals for a project that promotes delivery of comprehensive pharmacy services within a 340B-eligible entity. The following schools will be asked to present their project during the APhA Poster Session at APhA2010 in Washington, DC:

Drake University
Oregon State University
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
University of Connecticut
University of Minnesota
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern California
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
University of Toledo
University of Washington