by Nicole Hackett, Student Public Relations Writer
Whether little people or adults, Dr. Thaddeus Franz, vice-chair of experiential programs and associate professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville University, became a pharmacist to serve people.
“I love building trusting relationships with my patients so they feel comfortable to share honestly about their medication successes and challenges,” said Franz, who also serves as the pharmacy director at Cedar Care Village Pharmacy. “God has given me the knowledge and skill of medications and medication education that I desire to steward on and off the job so I can care well for people and bring Him glory.”
Franz and his team at Cedar Care, the teaching pharmacy of Cedarville’s school of pharmacy, demonstrated their dedication to serving people earlier in February when they helped a Cedar Care patient better understand her medications.
Several months ago, patient Becky Ferrell began experiencing negative side effects from a medication she started taking the previous fall. Her concern led Ferrell to consult with her primary care physician, and she eventually stopped taking the medication. After her consultation with her medical doctor, Ferrell became increasingly curious about all of her medications and their potential side effects.
That’s when she turned to a familiar source of knowledge — Dr. Franz and Cedar Care Village Pharmacy.
Ferrell contacted Franz, and he worked with a couple of colleagues to develop several reports explaining side effects she might be experiencing.
“He was very happy to be able to help me,” said Ferrell. “He explained everything in a way that a non-medical person, like myself, could understand. He also encouraged me to ask any further questions I might have.”
As Franz pointed out, pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare provider, and they are the medication experts. Most of the time, when patients have questions specifically about their medications, pharmacists have the availability and time to answer questions with no appointment necessary.
“I believe if the patient understands the ‘why’ behind taking the medication, they will be more apt to take it as prescribed and take ownership of managing their disease,” said Franz.
If you have any questions about the medications you are taking, contact Cedar Care Village Pharmacy by phone at 937-766-2273 or by email at info@cedarcarerx.com.
Along with answering questions about medications, Cedar Care Village Pharmacy also provides a 30-60 minute comprehensive review of a patient's medication regimen, pill-packing services, vaccinations, and point-of-care testing for strep, flu, and COVID-19.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Doctor of Pharmacy, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.