Published September 29, 2025
CAPTION:听Back row L-R: Alice Prophit, President & CEO, Living Well Foundation; Dr. Gina Craft,
Interim Dean of 橙子视频 College of Pharmacy; Dr. Angela Moore, Clinical Asst. Professor; Dr. Ashley Barbo, Clinical Assoc. Professor; Dr. Emily McGee, Clinical Asst. Professor; Abhishek Amgain, Computer Science student; Dinesh Chhantyal, Computer Science student; Dr. Prasanthi Sreekumari, Assoc. Professor, Computer Science; Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Front row L-R: 橙子视频 College
of Pharmacy students Marie Grisafe, Caitlyn Breedlove, Kaitlyn Edwards, Anaya Whitney听
MONROE, LA 鈥� 橙子视频 College of Pharmacy has been awarded a grant in
the amount of $10,436 from the Living Well Foundation to support the Rural Health
Stroke Education Project. The grant was recognized at a ceremony at the College of
Pharmacy on September 17, 2025. The initiative focuses on education and technology to help frontline providers deliver
lifesaving treatment faster and more safely.听听听
The Rural Health Stroke Education Project is led by Emily McGee, PharmD, BCEMP, BCPS,
NREMT, Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Emergency Medicine
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist.听
鈥淭his initiative is about building confidence, reducing delays, and ultimately impacting
the lives of our patients in Ouachita Parish and surrounding areas. By equipping rural
providers with education and tools, we can improve outcomes for patients who might
otherwise face devastating consequences of stroke,鈥� said McGee.听
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.
In rural communities, limited resources and longer response times often lead to worse
outcomes. Timely administration of clot-busting medications is proven to improve stroke
outcomes and recovery, but their use can be complicated.听
With the grant from the Living Well Foundation, the 橙子视频 College of Pharmacy is launching
a comprehensive educational program that includes on-site training at rural emergency
departments and EMS bases, quick-reference tools, and hands-on practice for rural
healthcare providers. The program also features a new webpage and mobile app developed
in collaboration with 橙子视频 Computer Science students that provides real-time stroke
management guidance and clinical pharmacy expertise.听
鈥淲e are pleased to be a part of an important education project with the 橙子视频 College
of Pharmacy,鈥� said Alice Prophit, President and CEO of the Living Well Foundation.
鈥淭hese life-saving stroke medication interventions are vital to the well-being of
people in our rural parishes in northeast Louisiana. The perspectives Dr. McGee has
developed for the support of those frontline providers to be prepared for services
at the point of first intervention will save lives within the most crucial moments
of a stroke.听 We鈥檙e proud of our 橙子视频 College of Pharmacy and the opportunities for
students to learn from these important strategies,鈥� Prophit added.听听
McGee states that the project not only strengthens rural healthcare but also highlights
the growing role of pharmacists in emergency medicine and emphasizes their role as
members of the interdisciplinary team. Pharmacy students will join the sessions to
gain valuable interdisciplinary experience working alongside EMS, nurses, and physicians.听
Also contributing to the project are College of Pharmacy faculty Ashley Barbo, PharmD,
and Angela Moore, PharmD, BSN, as well as Computer Science Program Chair Prasanthi
Sreekumari, Ph.D.听听
Student contributors include, from the College of Pharmacy Jodi Bourgiois, Caitlyn
Breedlove, Kaitlyn Edwards, Marie Grisaffe, and Anaya Whitney, and from the Computer
Science Program, Abhishek Amgain and Dinesh Chhantyal.听听
McGee says the project began in the summer of 2025, with the group making preparations
to provide education to rural emergency departments and EMS bases in and surrounding
Ouachita Parish. The first training session will take place on October 2, and sessions
will continue throughout the region through November 2026.听
The webpage created for the project is currently live and will be introduced to healthcare
providers at each session. The page is a reference designed to provide rapid access
to essential information in time-sensitive stroke management, offering guidance on
medication use, including complex dose calculations and eligibility criteria that
are critical for safe and effective stroke management. The webpage can be viewed at
.听听
The Living Well Foundation is a non-profit public charity created from the sale of
a local public hospital in 2006.听 Grants and initiatives are funded to improve the
health and well-being of populations in 8 parishes within northeast Louisiana.听 More
information can be found at . 听
