Eshelman campuses unite in hurricane relief efforts

The dual campus model of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy proved its strength when Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in late September. With thousands of residents displaced, the pharmacy school communities on the Chapel Hill and Asheville campuses sprang into action to host donation drives, distribute medication and work with relief agencies and clinics.  

With members from both campuses aiding relief efforts, one message rings true — although the school is split between two campuses, it’s one united community. 

“Asheville is home and that campus is incredibly special to me,” said Laura Bratsch, registrar and curriculum manager for both campuses. The Asheville native decided to return home, asking fellow Eshelman faculty and staff for donations. Within 48 hours, she collected more than 150 gallons of water, $2,600 in cash, baby supplies and pet food as well as inhalers and EpiPens for yellow jacket stings.  

“When we got there, many were already out helping their communities,” said Bratsch. “That’s just the type of people they are up in the mountains. It was heartwarming.”  

Student organizations in Chapel Hill collected more supplies, and the school set up an emergency fund to help Asheville students. As of Nov. 1, they raised more than $150,000 for housing, supplies, transportation and more. 

“I work with amazing people,” said Bratsch. “When things like this happen, that’s when we see the best in everybody.” 

Clinic pharmacies

The week after the hurricane, many Eshelman faculty members volunteered at the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry Medical Clinic, a joint effort among pharmacies and Buncombe County Health and Human Services. Operating like an urgent care facility, the clinic was an alternative to crowded emergency rooms with long wait times.  

Mollie Scott, regional associate dean for the Asheville campus, helped patients get prescription refills and treatment for poison ivy rashes they got from cutting down trees. Scott continues to distribute insulin to areas like Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Barnardsville and Burnsville. 

Eshelman’s classes and exercises on emergency and disaster preparedness prepare the school’s community for situations like this, Scott said. 

“The school is totally committed to serving the state of North Carolina. That is what we do,” she said. “This showed up in every bit of the hurricane relief and continues today, whether you’re in Chapel Hill or whether you’re in Asheville.”  

Stephanie Kiser, executive director of the Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative and professor of the practice at the Asheville campus, conducted walk-arounds to check on patient needs. “When you’re talking to someone who is overwhelmed and they’ve been through a traumatic experience, just being able to say, ‘I can help take care of this problem,’ is impactful,” she said. 

Important lessons

Eshelman alumna Jessi Stout ’08 (PharmD), owner of Table Rock Pharmacy in Morganton, filled prescriptions quickly for patients whose pharmacies flooded or doctors’ offices were without power.Saturday of the storm, they delivered critical medications to patients, looking for alternative routes where roads were closed.

Eshelman students on rotation were working at Stout’s pharmacy to learn about community pharmacy. “I learned just as much from the students as I think that they learn from us,” said Stout. “That relationship is important to help students learn and grow.” 

Along with assisting the pop-up medical clinic in Swannanoa, Eshelman assistant professor Olivia Caron helped set up a pharmacy at Asheville’s Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development.  

She’s also sourcing medication for opioid use disorder and providing care for patients undergoing withdrawal, something she teaches in the school’s substance use elective. That faculty expertise helps students understand how individuals can make a difference in response efforts, she said. 

“The School of Pharmacy gives students access to teachers who not only are passionate about it but do the work, understand the community and are integrated into that community,” said Caron. “Each person from the Asheville campus had a role to play from their area of expertise.” 

Kelly Collins, the school’s associate dean for external affairs, agrees.  

“We know how to persevere, solve problems and find creative solutions,” she said. “That is why we’re the No. 1 school of pharmacy. These skills have also translated into how we’ve been able to respond to this effort.”