Bristol Myers Squibb and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) have announced a new partnership to improve heart health in rural areas of the United States. The initiative focuses on addressing health-related social needs and improving care coordination for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
As part of the collaboration, NCPA has launched a program with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) that pilots specialized training for pharmacy technicians, transforming them into community health workers. Teams consisting of pharmacists and these trained community health workers will operate in 25 rural pharmacies across Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. They will use a detailed curriculum to better assess patients at higher risk for CVD and guide them toward appropriate medical care.
In addition to training, NCPA is establishing new access points within these independent pharmacies for screening, monitoring, and managing cardiovascular disease. This aspect of the pilot is funded by a separate grant from BMS and aims to measure how improved access affects medically underserved communities.
Statistics show that adults living in rural regions are at greater risk when it comes to heart disease. Rural residents face a 19 percent higher chance of developing heart failure and are 1.5 times more likely to die from CVD compared to those in urban settings. In many rural locations, community pharmacies serve as the only link between patients and essential health services.
Andrew Whitehead, vice president and head of Population Health at Bristol Myers Squibb, said: “Too many patients in rural America face barriers to cardiovascular care — barriers that tragically cost lives. Through our collaboration with NCPA, we are confronting these challenges head-on. By supporting the NCPA Community Health Worker training for pharmacy techs to further assist in the continuity of care for patients in these communities, we’re helping to close a critical gap in our health care system and reaffirming our commitment to creating equitable access to care for all.”
B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA, CEO of NCPA added: “We are pleased to partner with BMS to improve access to care for people in rural communities. The NCPA Innovation Center has partnered with the 25 rural pharmacies to improve cardiovascular outcomes through care coordination, screenings, transition of care interventions, and making sure patients have access to the medicines they need to sustain and improve health. Community pharmacists and their teams are increasingly playing a bigger role in the health care of Americans, and we are excited to create new, sustainable models of pharmacy-based care.”
NCPA represents nearly 19,000 independent pharmacies across the country. About one-third of these pharmacies operate in towns with fewer than 10,000 residents.
Founded in 1898, NCPA advocates for community pharmacists nationwide. These pharmacies employ over 205,000 people throughout the United States.
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