NCPA Foundation receives $100,000 for Catalyst Grant Award

Purdue Pharma has awarded the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Foundation a $100,000 grant to advance its efforts to stimulate community-pharmacy-based research that helps improve patient care and education. The donation will support the foundation's Catalyst Grant Award Program for Innovative Practice, with a focus on pain management.

As with a venture capital award program, the NCPA Foundation's Catalyst Grant Award Program is designed to provide seed money to help pharmacists in independent practices design and implement innovative patient-care services. The goal is to encourage the development of patient-care services that enhance medication adherence and improve patient outcomes through pharmacy-based patient-care services.

“As healthcare providers, we know that partnerships and the pooling of resources are vital to improving our nation’s healthcare delivery system in an effective and responsive manner,” said Sharlea Leatherwood, RPh, president of NCPA Foundation. “Purdue’s funding of the Catalyst Grant Award Program underscores the importance of such collaboration.”

Lisa Miller, PharmD, executive director of healthcare education and liaison programs for Purdue Pharma, said the company believes that community pharmacists, students, and pharmacy staff have important roles to play in addressing patient education, assessing pain and healthcare needs, and intervening with adherence and drug safety programs.

The Catalyst Grant Award Program will be conducted over a 4-year period, with the selected best practices widely communicated to the pharmacy profession, other healthcare providers, policymakers, payers, and patient- and disease-advocacy organizations. After 4 years, the program should generate a significant body of knowledge and evidence to showcase the effectiveness of pharmacy-provided services and the efficacy of pharmaceuticals when properly used, according to NCPA.

Interested applicants must be NCPA members, currently licensed, and engaged in independent pharmacy practice. Each grant will provide $3,000 or $5,000 to a project lasting up to 8 months. The application deadline is Aug. 6.

Grant recipients will be announced at NCPA’s 112th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Oct. 23 to 27.

For more information, visit http://www.ncpafoundation.org/purdue.shtml.