Script Your Future launches eighth annual student competition for innovations in medication adherence

January 21, 2019

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242 or Taun Sterling, tauns@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—Today marks the launch of the eighth annual Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a two-month-long intercollegiate competition among health profession student teams and faculty for creating solutions to raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue. The Challenge, hosted by the National Consumers League (NCL), is returning to university campuses across the country after seven years of successful student competition and innovation.   

The Challenge is an integral part of Script Your Future, a campaign launched by NCL and its partners in 2011 to combat the problem of poor medication adherence in the United States, where nearly three out of four patients do not take their medication as directed. 

“With the aging of America’s baby boomer generation and the complexities of our healthcare system, the role of health professionals in helping patients preserve and improve their own health is more critical than ever. The Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge uniquely encourages an interprofessional approach and lays the foundation for adherence-minded care among future professionals before they enter the workforce,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. “For seven years, we have been blown away by the ingenuity of our student teams, their commitment to reaching patients with our messages of adherence, and their interest in positively impacting their communitiesWe look forward to seeing what this year’s Challenge will contribute to the discussion.” 

The Challenge is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)  

Starting today through March 22, inter-professional teamsincluding student pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and otherswill implement creative outreach approaches in their communities to raise awareness and improve understanding about medication adherenceAt the end of the Challenge, teams submit entries for review by national partner organizations, and winners are recognized for their efforts to improve medication adherence. 

“The Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge has provided a tremendous opportunity for health professions students to demonstrate how they can work collaboratively to improve patient care through better medication adherence,” said Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, Executive Vice President and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. “This Challenge, now in its eighth year, is a powerful example of the impact health professions teams can have on the public health issue of medication adherence.” 

Since the Challenge began in 2011, more than 15,000 future health care professionals have directly counseled nearly 65,000 patients and reached more than 24.5 million consumers about the importance of medication adherence. Last year’s National awardees were the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy and the University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of PharmacyPacific University School of Pharmacy earned the Rookie Award for their outstanding contribution during their second year of participation in the Team Challenge.  

In addition to the national-level awards, the Challenge also honors teams with focused awards in the areas of health disparities, communications and media outreach, and creative inter-professional team. In 2018, the Challenge honored the following schools with focused awards: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM); Touro University California College of Pharmacy; and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, respectively.   

To learn more about last year’s winners, visit the Script Your Future website.  

For more information on the Challenge, visit the Challenge Community website at https://syfadherencechallenge.ning.com/. Tweet along with us during the Challenge using #SYFchallenge, and follow the campaign @IWillTakeMyMeds. 

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About Script Your Future 

Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information on NCL, please visit nclnet.org.