Cambridge Native and Fort HealthCare Pharmacy Resident Presents at State Conference

Cambridge, WI native and Fort HealthCare Pharmacy Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) Resident, Caleb Chitwood, PharmD, presented his research work to a well-attended collaboration of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from across Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Pharmacy Residency Conference held at Monona Terrace in Madison, WI in April.

At the conference, sponsored by the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, Chitwood shared a summary of his yearlong project to improve quality of patient care in two Fort Medical Group clinics. His project involved collaboration with Fort HealthCare primary care providers to improve cholesterol levels in patients who have diabetes. Chitwood worked side by side with William Cannon, MD of Fort HealthCare Internal Medicine and Aaron Beck, MD of Fort HealthCare Integrated Family Care clinics, both located in Fort Atkinson, WI.

Through these partnerships, Chitwood reviewed patient medication lists, lab work, and evaluated patients’ chronic health conditions and created recommendations to improve outcomes and help patients live more healthy lives. The process and technology used by Chitwood is one of the many ways that pharmacists, as part of a healthcare team, can help positively impact the health and well-being of a community. Interest in his work was well-received as pharmacists continue to strive to find more beneficial ways to support providers and patient care outside the hospital setting.

Fort HealthCare’s PGY1 Residency Program began in 2017, the first of its kind nationally,  leveraging a collaboration with UW Health, where pharmacy residents are exposed to all that Fort Healthcare has to offer: Emergency Services, Labor and Delivery/Obstetrics, Medical/Surgical Care, Intensive Care, Ambulatory Primary Care Services, Population Health, Drug Information and Pharmacy Management, as well as the unique services provided at UW Health – such as Critical Care, Psychiatry Services and Infectious Disease Specialty.

Sarah Pagenkopf, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy Director with Fort HealthCare and Residency Program Director, states, “Our organization is accredited through the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) for their program, joining over 2,300 accredited AHSP Residency Programs across the nation, with several of those programs right here in Wisconsin. This unique opportunity helps Fort HealthCare meet its Mission and Vision by enhancing the care provided for patients, envisioning and activating new ways to provide care, and by supporting the next generation of healthcare providers.”

To learn more about Fort HealthCare’s pharmacy residency program, visit FortHealthCare.com/pharm-residency.

Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.