Mega Doctor News
EDINBURG, Texas — Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR) today announced creation of the Rio Grande Valley’s first co-funded Pharmacy Residency program aimed at recruiting the best and brightest pharmacy graduates to continue bringing the best patient care to the area.
“Pharmacists are an essential component of patient care. Without them, medical treatment would be inefficient and at many times, ineffective,” said Carlos Cardenas, M.D., DHR chairman of the board.
The program, a partnership with the Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, will expand the hospital’s clinical team by two faculty pharmacists who are set to begin training the first pharmacy resident in 2015.
“Doctors Hospital at Renaissance recognizes the need for quality pharmacists to work alongside physicians to provide superior medical care to our patients and community,” said Israel Rocha Jr., DHR chief executive officer. “The new program will be an invaluable asset to our hospital, patients, and community by enabling DHR to provide an even greater quality of care to our patients.”
Addition of the program will allow for creation of medication therapy management clinics aimed at extending DHR’s pharmacy and patient care services. The clinics will bolster efforts to ensure that patients are administered the correct medication regimen, understand the importance of their medications, and receive thorough education on proper adherence. When patients have questions and concerns about their medications the clinics will serve as a resource for clarification to help maintain medication adherence and better outcomes.
“Proactive initiatives like this can help reduce unnecessary readmissions, ensure patient safety, and advance patient education at DHR and the larger community in the RGV,” Rocha said.
The program will also create opportunity for additional community service and public health activities, such as immunization drives, health screenings, drug take-back days, and health fairs.
The Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy in Kingsville, ranked as a top-50 pharmacy school by U.S. News & World Report, was founded in 2006 in response to the shortage of pharmacists in the border region. Eighty six students will graduate this month with 23 percent entering residency programs across the nation, a rate higher than the national average. More than 30 percent of the college’s graduates remain in South Texas to practice, 60 percent of who work in underserved areas. MDN
