Using health observances to promote wellness in community pharmacies

OBJECTIVES To provide pharmacists in community practice a framework for using national health observances as opportunities to promote patients' health through education and screenings, to discuss obstacles pharmacists may encounter when developing services within their pharmacies, and to outline examples of activities pharmacists can perform for specific health observances. DATA SOURCES Articles published between January 1970 and April 2002 were identified through MEDLINE using the search terms Wellness, disease prevention, health promotion, Healthy People 2010, treatment of high cholesterol, treatment of high blood pressure, and levels of participation. Additional articles were identified from Web sites and reports from the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, National Osteoporosis Foundation, National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DATA SYNTHESIS Healthy People 2010 is a federal program with the goal of increasing the quality and years of healthy life and eliminating health disparities among populations. ODPHP publishes a list of national health observances each year. Community pharmacists can use these month- and week-long observances as opportunities to work toward achieving Healthy People 2010 goals by advocating, facilitating, and/or providing education and screenings to their patients. This article presents advice for pharmacists who want to develop pharmacy-based health promotion activities at various levels of resources and commitment. Specific suggestions include tips on preparing for and implementing education and screening programs and overcoming potential obstacles. CONCLUSION As the most accessible health care professionals, pharmacists are in a unique position to help the nation achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010 through their involvement in the promotion of Wellness.