Fruth Pharmacy Director of Pharmacy, Craig Kimble Presented the Upshire-Smith Excellence in Innovation Award

Fruth Pharmacy Director of Pharmacy, Craig Kimble

FRUTH PHARMACY, INC.
POINT PLEASANT, WV.

Fruth Pharmacy is proud to announce that Craig Kimble, Director of Pharmacy, was presented the Upshire-Smith Excellence in Innovation Award at the West Virginia Pharmacy Association’s Annual Convention. This award is presented in recognition of pharmacists who contribute to advancing the practice of pharmacy and improving patient care in West Virginia.

Craig initiated semi-annual professional development meetings for all Fruth pharmacists.  These provided the structure for instituting APhA immunization training programs for over 30 pharmacists and also provided Continuing Education opportunities for our pharmacists. Craig also established Fruth Pharmacy as a provider of Continuing Professional Education and formed a relationship with the CAMC Institute to provide ACPE credit. Internally, Craig  developed professional protocols, workflow and training for Fruth Pharmacy’s immunization program. In addition, he developed annual competency and training programs in multiple areas including medication safety. All of these efforts resulted in higher levels of professionalism, competency and compliance.

Kimble also worked with WVU to become a trainer for their American Pharmaceutical Association Immunization and Diabetes Certificate Programs, and he has served as a resource for community pharmacists in drug information and other areas. Craig has served as a preceptor for WVU, UC, and VCU as an APPE year 4 preceptor to numerous students, in addition to serving on various university advisory boards. He has assisted in developing pharmacies with counseling areas and advanced practice design. Craig has also encouraged pharmacists to get involved in grass roots efforts and legislation to move the pharmacy profession forward.

Fruth Pharmacy Director of Pharmacy, Craig Kimble shown holding the Upshire-Smith Excellence in Innovation Award.

“We are extremely proud of Craig and all the hard work he has  put into both our company and the community at large,” said Lynne Fruth, President and CEO of Fruth Pharmacy. “It is wonderful for his efforts to be recognized by the West Virginia Pharmacy Association. Craig continues to be instrumental in helping Fruth Pharmacists provide the best quality of patient care in community pharmacy settings.”

The WVPA Annual Convention was held at the Charleston Marriott on October 29 and 30.

Craig Kimble resides in Crown City, Ohio with his wife Angel, who is the Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Ambulatory Care Specialist for the University of Charleston.

Fruth Pharmacy Helps to Improve Healthcare in West Virginia and Appalachia

FRUTH PHARMACY INC.
POINT PLEASANT, WV.

In conjunction with Fruth Pharmacy, the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy (UCSOP) is proud to announce that the UC School of Pharmacy has received a $50,000 grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Community Pharmacy Residency Expansion Project (Community PREP).

Community PREP was established by NACDS to create new fully accredited post-graduate community pharmacy residency opportunities through grants to non-profit schools and colleges of pharmacy.  The grants are designed to foster the creation or expansion of a patient-focused residency program where a faculty member or preceptor will oversee the selected pharmacy resident’s learning experience at a pharmacy practice site. Grant recipients were determined based on the recommendations of an independent review committee comprised of representatives from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the NACDS Foundation.

The University of Charleston worked closely with Fruth Pharmacy to develop a competitive application that utilizes the first Fruth Pharmacy location in Point Pleasant, WV., as the headquarters for the community pharmacy residency.

Dr. Michelle Easton, Dean, UC School of Pharmacy, said, “Receiving this grant is a wonderful opportunity for us to work closely with one of our important partners, Fruth Pharmacy, to achieve a mutual goal; which is improving healthcare in WV and Appalachia.  It will allow us to improve patient interactions with pharmacists in rural WV. It will help the pharmacist residents (selected for the program) to develop unique skill sets to address the increasing complexity of medication regimens, help patients make the best use of their medications and improve their quality of life.” “There are a number of benefits to this program,” added Lynne Fruth, President of Fruth Pharmacy. “In rural areas, healthcare is often underserved. A key role of the pharmacist is to educate patients about their medications. When patients understand more about their diseases and the medications to treat those diseases, compliance to medication often increases. Providing those patient care services is the key component of this residency program.”

Some of the anticipated results of the residency grant include medication therapy management, increased patient access to immunizations, and greater patient awareness of their conditions and treatment plans. “My father’s main purpose when he founded Fruth Pharmacy was to increase rural access to healthcare, medications, and patients’ understanding of their health conditions. This residency project is in direct alignment with both our core values as a company and our commitment to expanding healthcare options for our customers.”

The community pharmacy residency will begin July 1, 2012. Information about the program will be available at www.ucwv.edu/pharmacy and www.fruthpharmacy.com.

Fruth Pharmacy Establishes Marshall Scholarship

FRUTH PHARMACY INC.
POINT PLEASANT, WV.

Huntington, WV. – The Fruth Pharmacy Scholarship for Marshall University’s School of Pharmacy has been established through a $15,000 gift donated by the Mason County family-owned business. (special to HNN provided by Marshall University)
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Fruth Pharmacy Makes Scholarship Donation to the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy

FRUTH PHARMACY INC.
POINT PLEASANT, WV.

Charleston, WV.  – The University of Charleston School of Pharmacy was recently presented with an $8,000 check for the Fruth Scholarship Fund (news by ucwv.edu).
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Fruth Testimonial Program Showcases Pharmacists’ Value

FRUTH PHARMACY INC.
POINT PLEASANT, WV.

Testimonial Program Showcases Pharmacists’ Value, December 2011 news article by Carli Richard, Pharmacy Today publication. “The testimonial program has been a huge success, with some Fruth pharmacies receiving 40 or more testimonials.”