Chief Pharmacist (another additional duty)

This is just a fun note/blog to make sure you guys have heard about and checked out a beneficial program availalble at most, if not all installations. It's often referred to as "the self-care class." I recently took the local equivalent at our Community Health Resource Center on Fort Leonard Wood in order to add another title to my list.

mother, wife, confidante, household 6, executive officer, chief financial officer, and now chief pharmacy officer

I've been to one class before (more than 10 years ago) and received the coveted magic card (a result of graduating the class). I can't believe I waited so long to take it again. The premise behind community health centers offering these classes is that as adults we have the ability, and to some level, responsibility to "take care of yourself." But to us, it means a free and well-stocked home pharmacy, which will serve as a first line of defense against sniffles turning into wheezing and sinus headaches turning into sinus infections.

It's another empowerment tool offered by installations to keep the numbers down in the Urgent Care and Emergency Room. I also think it keeps the barely sick out of those places that might get you really sick!

Here are some fast facts that I gathered from our Self-care class pre-test:

1. Self-care is taking care of your own health for treatment of minor health problems.

ⒶTrue Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
Or if you're a mother/chief pharmacy officer for your household, like I am now, then you can treat your spouse and children too. I remember going to the emergency room once with a baby and being "prescribed" cough syrup. Had I had the class, I would have had the syrup, knew to administer it, and gotten extra rest at home besides.

2. I can get up to 5 self-care medications for minor health symptoms that I might have.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
At my installation (please check your local rules and procedures), once you've had the class, you can draw up to 5 different items per patient per month. Our pharmacy has 50 different items to include adult vitamins and 81mg aspirin for heart health. That's got to be a periodic savings of $30 per person per "flu season."

3. Ibuprofen tablets are available through self-care.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
Ibuprofen/Motrin IS NOT candy, but I know there's a reason why they call it that. We go through a lot in our house with aches and pains due to aging, kids, stress, or all of the above.

4. I can share self-care medications with my battle buddies.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
This is why it's important and required that you take the class. There are always rules and procedures to follow to make sure we know how to take care of ourselves and our family. You must sign a statement that these items are for "personal use only." We don't know (except for what they tell us) what other people's symptoms are, and what they can/should/can't take. Best thing you can do is sign up your battle buddy for the class too!

5. The pharmacist can answer questions that I may have about OTC medications.

Ⓐ Yes Ⓑ No Ⓒ Don’t know
I've never met a pharmacist who isn't helpful. Except many of them just shrug or laugh when I ask them why it's "over the counter" meds vs. "on the counter" meds. I guess they're just used to getting questions about dose and deconflicting prescription medication with "OTC" meds and/or supplements. Either way, they're very helpful and I'm guessing if you haven't heard of the self-care class, they'll direct you on how/where to get that too!

Here's hoping I told a few of you something new. From what I read, our newest soldiers have the "self-care class" at initial/basic training, but if they're anything like my soldier, they're notorious for not sharing the knowledge. Bottom line, get a card however you need to, start saving, and start getting and staying healthy.

That's a word from my family's Chief Pharmacist, me!
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Assorted posts from our Loving A Soldier archives:

In Time for "Me" Time
Mom Just Locked Her Door
Household 6