Spring 2013 - D'Youville College

Nicole Conroe, RPA-C, director of the health center, administers a skin test for TB to astudent preparing for fieldwork at the first on-campus PODCLINICAL COORDINATOR COMMITTEE (CCC)FACILITATES DYC’S FIRST “POD”On September 21, 2012, the Blue Loungewas transformed into D’Youville’s first oncampusPOD site. A Point of Dispensing(POD) site dispenses medications to aspecific group of people as a service to itsconstituents or during health emergencysituations. A POD is an organization in thecommunity (agency, hospital, business oracademic institution) that forms a voluntarypartnership with state and public healthplanners to better protect its employees/families/students. The POD benefits theDepartment of Health in meeting publichealth needs; it aligns with the StrategicNational Stockpile, designed to prevent themass casualty effect of certain biologicalagents by rapidly distributing antibiotics toall residents believed to be in the affectedarea within a 48-hour period.There are closed or private PODs as wellas open or public PODs. The open PODsare locations at which the general publiccan receive emergency medications frompublic health officials in a catastrophichealth event. A closed POD, D’YouvilleCollege, is qualified to schedule a PODfor specific needs, or to dispense medsto its employees, their family membersand students during a catastrophic healthevent.The genesis of a closed POD at DYCstemmed from the work of the DYCClinical Coordinator Committee (CCC).The CCC envisioned a time-efficient/costefficient immunization clinic using oncampusresources to serve our studentsprior to clinical fieldwork rotations.Consultation with and immediate supportby Dr. Anthony Billittier, dean of theSchool of Health Professions, led to aquick partnership with the Erie CountyDepartment of Health (ECDOH). APOD committee, spearheaded by Dr.Theresa Vallone convened; they attendeda training hosted by the ECDOH. TracyFricano Chalmers, Office of Public HealthEmergency Preparedness; Jack Koford,clinical coordinator for the School ofPharmacy, who chaired the “pilot” POD;and committee members developed theinfrastructure for a successful closedPOD. Staffed by J. Koford, J. Bovey, T.Vallone, and three ECDOH employees,approximately fifty people (pharmacystudents, a few OT students and a fewemployees) received a PPD (at an outof-pocketcost of $15). Nicole Conroe,director of the health center, and ReneeAndreef, clinical assistant professor in PAprogram, administered the PPDs on Friday.An online pre-registration procedurewas devised by the ECDOH and wassuccessfully accessed by those who werescheduled. It was the first time in New YorkState that the Clinical Data ManagementSystem (CDMS) was used for trackingthe administration of the PPD. Plans for aspring 2013 POD are underway to servehealth professional students who beginclinical rotations in spring/summer 2013.The CCC, formed to enhance clinicalcoordination efforts across campus,continues proactive efforts throughinterprofessional and interoffice collaboration.The goal is to streamline similarprocesses related to affiliation agreements,professional liability coverage, preceptorrelationships and healthcare pre-requisites.KWANDRANSTO CHAIRSUPERINTENDENTSADVISORY COUNCILFOR OCCUPATIONALEDUCATION FORBUFFALO SCHOOLSKaren Kwandrans, interim director,Learning Center/HEOP director, andNursing Workforce Diversity Program atD’Youville College, was appointed chairof the Superintendents Advisory Councilfor Occupational Education for the BuffaloPublic Schools.She will focus on awareness of the Careerand Technical Education Programs (CTE)offered in the public schools as well asthe successful collaborations with areabusinesses and post-secondary institutions.“Our CTE program has a 78 percentgraduation rate in the City of Buffalo, with90 percent of the students going right intopost-secondary training, employment intheir career area, or the military. These areimpressive numbers,” Kwandrans said.The Superintendents Advisory Councilcomprises business, post-secondary, tradeand labor partners as well as representativesof the New York State Department of Laborand workforce investments agencies.Kwandrans has worked with the BuffaloPublic Schools for more than 12 years inmultiple grant capacities and has been amember of the advisory council for tenyears. She has been the director of theNursing Workforce Diversity Program atD’Youville since 2007 and is an adjunctfaculty in the educational foundationsdepartment at the State University College.She serves on the Perkins AdvisoryBoard and is an Allied Health Boardrepresentative at Erie County CommunityCollege, a member of the Education ActionCommittee at St. Francis of Assisi School,and is on the board of the Western New YorkProfessional Development Consortium.Kwandrans holds a master of educationdegree in technical education from theState University College and a bachelor’sdegree in nursing from University atBuffalo.alumni.dyouville.edu 11