Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Collaboratory, a public health site serving the community in Albany’s South End, has been named a recipient of a Summer 2023 grant from the Hearst Foundation. More than 76 national organizations whose missions span culture, education, health and social services were chosen for Hearst summer funding.
The Collaboratory, was one of only three organizations chosen for health in New York State that received $150,000 for its chronic disease management work and Food as Medicine program through the Hearst Summer Grant Program.
ACPHS created the Collaboratory in 2018 in partnership with Trinity Alliance’s Wellness Advocates Linking Communities (WALC) team to address social justice and social determinants of health to improve population health. The collaboration bridges social supports and healthcare, connecting individuals with resources and solutions to take ownership of their health.
The mission is to provide preventive health screenings, medication counseling and expanded services to residents focused on chronic disease and medication management, including reviewing and adjusting residents’ prescription doses, organizing and simplifying residents’ medication regimens, and offering nutritional education. In addition, the Collaboratory connects residents to primary care doctors, insurance, food, transportation and other community resources.
Wendy Parker, Executive Director, ACPHS Collaboratory and students work on the Food as Medicine Program
The Food as Medicine program was officially launched at an April community event to welcome the Collaboratory’s newest home at 200 South Pearl Street. The service brings weekly fresh fruit, produce and shelf-stable items to the community to help reduce food insecurity. The program is in conjunction with long-standing partner New York State Department of Health to deliver a hypertension program to residents to attempt to reduce their risk for further cardiovascular disease.
“For the past several years, our Public Health Pharmacy team has operated a hypertension program helping more than 200 individuals in our community improve his/her knowledge of cardiovascular disease, engage in weekly conversations with our pharmacy technician, track their blood pressure, and most recently we have had our Food as Medicine program for these clients," said Collaboratory Executive Director, Wendy Parker. "We are so grateful to the Hearst Foundation for this critical funding that allows our community members to remain in their homes and independent as long as possible."
The Collaboratory also serves as an excellent resource for ACPHS students. The site offers public health students invaluable experience working with the community. The students can extend what they are learning in the classroom to effectively support the South End community. The Collaboratory also offers an opportunity for pharmacy and other health sciences students to engage in the real-world experiences of community-based public health.
Founded by William Randolph Hearst in 1946, Hearst Foundations helps people of all backgrounds in the United States live healthy and productive lives through grants to nonprofit institutions. See the full list of Hearst Summer 2023 grant recipients.
The Collaboratory is grateful for the support it receives from community organizations. If you’d like to make a gift to the Collaboratory, visit https://www.acphs.edu/collaboratory/funding-organizations.