NACDS Foundation launches nearly $2M in support of new research
The NACDS Foundation recently launched nearly $2 million in support of new research projects that seek to address gaps in healthcare access, especially in vulnerable and underserved populations.
The NACDS Foundation announced that it would award $1 million in grants to support two innovative research projects. The projects seek to address at least one of the following issues:
- Enhancing access to mental health screening and support
- Implementing innovative approaches to chronic disease prevention and management
- Preventing and reducing the impact of infectious diseases
The first awardee—Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy—is launching a project titled “Implementation of HIV Screening, Prevention and Harm Reduction for Vulnerable Populations.” It will aim to improve access to HIV screening, pre-exposure prophylaxis and relevant wraparound interventions through community pharmacies, focusing on reaching vulnerable, at-risk minority populations in California.
[Read more: NACDS Foundation awards $1M to community-centered projects to address inequities]
The School of Pharmacy will receive a prospective research grant for $750,000.
The second awardee—the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy—is launching research, “Evaluating Access to Childhood Vaccines Through Rural Community Pharmacies,” that aims to estimate the health and broad economic outcomes associated with community pharmacy administration of COVID-19 vaccines to children in rural North Carolina. It also will assess the patient and public health successes and challenges when utilizing community pharmacies to administer all childhood vaccines to rural North Carolina populations.
The School of Pharmacy will receive a retrospective research grant for $250,000.
The NACDS Foundation also recently announced the national expansion of Project Lifeline, a 15-month community partnership and research program led by the University of Pittsburgh’s Program Evaluation and Research Unit to address substance use disorder.
The NACDS Foundation is committing $900,000 to the project extension.
[Read more: NACDS Foundation opens community impact project proposals]
Project Lifeline is a multi-pronged public health initiative providing educational and technical support to community pharmacies and pharmacy teams implementing evidence-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment services for SUD and opioid use disorder among at-risk populations—and offering harm reduction support and wraparound care, such as administering vaccinations, providing referrals for HIV testing and promoting access to naloxone.