HU DRUG INFORMATION SERVICE OPENS

Hampton, VA - The Hampton University School of Pharmacy Drug Information Service (DIS) grand opening ceremony will be held on Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. in the Kittrell Hall Teleconference Center on campus.

The HU DIS is the only full service drug information center in the Hampton Roads area and its mission is to enhance the quality of pharmaceutical care in the region. The DIS is a resource center that provides answers to drug information questions that cannot typically be answered in standard references accessible to most pharmacists. The DIS is committed to researching drug information questions for health care providers and patients by providing timely and accurate responses. The Center also contributes to the scholarly development of future pharmacists by serving as a training site for Hampton University pharmacy students.

"When the School of Pharmacy was founded, establishing a state-of-the-art drug information center was one of the priority elements," said Dr. Arcelia Johnson-Fannin, dean of the HU School of Pharmacy. "Fortunately, the Kellogg Foundation funded a grant that included the development and implementation of a working Drug Information Service. In keeping with the mission of Hampton University--to give back to the community--we will offer this vital service without charge to the medical community for as long as we can. We are proud of what has been accomplished and we are pleased to share the results."

The DIS currently serves healthcare providers in Hampton Roads and Hampton University faculty, staff and students. Questions can be submitted via telephone, email or in person.

The DIS specializes in questions about new drugs, medication administration and dosage, drug availability, adverse drug reaction, selection of drug therapy and tablet and capsule identification.

"The number of drugs and patients on prescription medications are increasing rapidly," said Dr. Akima Howard, director of the DIS. "Drug information centers provided a wealth of information in a central location. This information is accessed and evaluated for its reliability by drug information specialists. The information is then used to positively impact patient care. Our service is targeted at health care professionals. We believe that the better informed our health professionals are, the better treatment our patients will receive."

The DIS is located in Kitrell Hall Room 208 and is open Monday- Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. A voice messaging service receives call, after hours and on weekends and holidays. To contact the DIS call 757-728-6693 or send e-mail to druginfo@hamptonu.edu.

For additional information, please contact: Yuri R. Rodgers at (757) 727-5253 or via email: yuri.milligan@hamptonu.edu