Auburn University: Auburn University celebrates opening of health care clinic in Boykin Community Center
With a mission to bring health care access to the uninsured and underinsured in the Auburn community, the Auburn University Health Care and Education Clinic is officially opening its doors in Northwest Auburn. The clinic is located at the north end of the Boykin Community Center at 400 Boykin St., Suite 700.
The opening was commemorated with a ribbon cutting and open house on Tuesday. Participating in the ribbon cutting were representatives from Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy and the College of Nursing, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and officials from the City of Auburn.
The clinic is the product of an agreement between the Harrison College of Pharmacy and the City of Auburn. As part of the renovation and reimagining of the Boykin Community Center, space was allotted for a clinic. While managed by the Harrison College of Pharmacy, or HCOP, the clinic is interprofessional with student and faculty support across a variety of health care disciplines from Auburn’s colleges of nursing, liberal arts, human sciences and education, as well as the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“We are very excited for the opening of the clinic in the Boykin Community Center and what it means for the residents of Northwest Auburn and the greater Auburn community,” said Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. “Having access to health care is vital and having a facility like this that is accessible to so many is a great addition to the community.”
Located within the Boykin Community Center in Northwest Auburn, the clinic offers health care services for Auburn residents who are uninsured, underinsured or insured patients who prefer to access health care in Northwest Auburn. Services include general health and wellness screenings, acute/urgent care services, chronic disease state management, psychosocial assessment, immunizations and a childhood wellness program.
For many, the ability to access health care can be life-changing, and the interprofessional clinic’s outreach efforts can have a significant impact.
“This clinic is a perfect example of how we fit into Auburn’s land-grant mission of serving and caring for the people of Alabama,” said Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, HCOP’s associate dean for clinical affairs and outreach. “Along with providing health care services to those who may not otherwise have access, we are also providing students the opportunity to learn in an interprofessional setting with a variety of other health care practitioners and students.”
Furthering the interprofessional nature of the clinic, the site is also officially approved for one of the first pharmacy collaborative practice agreements for the state of Alabama. Pharmacists Dave Brackett and Fallon Hartsell, along with physician Dennis Scott, operate under a new agreement granting pharmacists the official ability to modify, discontinue and initiate medications for specific disease states. Scott was recently hired as a physician that will practice in the AU Health Care and Education Clinic and the State Wellness Center in Montgomery.
“Having Dr. Scott on board and being one of the first beneficiaries of the collaborative practice agreement in Alabama means so much for the services and care we can provide,” said Braxton Lloyd.
Along with the services provided to the community, the clinic serves as an education and training center, offering a site for Auburn University students from multiple disciplines to engage with each other and learn how to treat patients from a variety of backgrounds in a real-life setting.
“Interprofessional and experiential education experiences are vital for health care students, and we are thrilled to provide those experiences at Boykin,” said HCOP Interim Dean Timothy Moore. “This collaboration with the City of Auburn furthers our students’ recognition that they have an impact on improving health outcomes within the communities where they learn and serve.”
The clinic has received support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. Through gifts to both HCOP and the College of Nursing, Blue Cross is furthering its commitment to promote interprofessional education.
“On behalf of Auburn University, I would like to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Caring Foundation for their support of this clinic,” said Moore. “This clinic would not have been possible without their commitment and partnership with both the Harrison College of Pharmacy and the College of Nursing. Because of their support, the clinic is now a reality that will continue to support the surrounding community.”