Summer 2016

Matthew Coiro ’16 provides blood pressure counsel under the guidance of Mario Casinelli ’53.

THE SENIORS AT CRANSTON SENIOR CENTER are having a spirited discussion on the benefits of coffee versus red wine, recalling a lecture on Mediterranean diet from the previous week. The moment sixth-year PharmD candidates Matthew Coiro ’16 and Jamie Rodrigues ’16 introduce the morning’s presentation on vaccinations, the room turns quiet, except for one hand already in the air—a question about chicken pox.

“The seniors love having the students here,” says Mario Casinelli ’53, volunteer pharmacist in residence at the center for nearly 20 years and an honorary alum of URI’s College of Pharmacy. (He graduated from predecessor Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences.) “I see the difference in the seniors who attend the programs each week. You can see what they retain; you can see the results.” 

“It’s rewarding and helpful to hear someone talk about an issue that’s affecting them instead of seeing it in a textbook,” says Matthew Coiro ’16.

As part of a six-week Outreach rotation, students make weekly visits to the Center––under the guidance of Casinelli and Outreach program coordinator Nancy Tortolani––where their hands-on work includes everything from blood pressure counseling to interactive talks on health topics. “You learn to connect with different types of people, no matter their age or background,” says Coiro. “It’s rewarding and helpful to hear someone talk about an issue that’s affecting them instead of seeing it in a textbook.”

The students also get valuable mentorship from Casinelli. “It’s nice to give them advice from throughout my career,” says Casinelli. “I tell the students to be positive, be a good listener, and always remember to take care of the patient.”

The day’s lecture includes a shingles overview, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination recommendations, and clarifications on changes to pneumococcal vaccination guidelines, as well as information on Medicare coverage and costs for vaccinations. The seniors take notes, provide examples from their own experience, and ask questions. “The students are so great and highly intelligent,” says one woman when the presentation ends, as the rest of the table chimes in to agree. “I learn something new every week.”

Casinelli notes one more benefit to the program: “It’s fascinating to see how pharmacy education has advanced.”

 

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