Physician Associate faculty making difference with volunteer work

Stephanie Pillai and Joy Henderson practice per diem at a rehabilitation facility and provide wound care on the streets of Philadelphia

Alvernia's Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate Studies program is about to welcome its first cohort, but two of its faculty members have already been making a difference in the region.

Stephanie Pillai, MPAS, MS, PA-C, Director of Outreach & Experiential Learning for the program, and Joy Henderson, MMS, PA-C, Director of Curriculum Innovation & Program Assessment, practice per diem at Eagleville Hospital, an in-patient drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation facility just outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County.

In June, they also began volunteering with addiction consultant company Parkhill Recovery Solutions, LLC, providing wound care on the streets in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Founder Brian Parkhill was recently interviewed by CNN and HBO about his work.

"It's hard to describe the scenes in Kensington, and until you see it for yourself, you don't realize how devasting it is," Pillai said. "Each of those people is someone's mom, dad, brother, sister, son, daughter, or cousin and they need help."

The work is personal for Pillai.

"I lost a close family member to a fentanyl overdose in 2017, just a couple weeks before graduating from PA school," she said. "He was actively trying to get treatment and help in his recovery process, but resources were limited. I witnessed firsthand how addiction is not as easy as 'just quitting.' My family was torn apart because of the addiction, so much so that we are still living with the damage that was done."

To help address the need for assistance, the Physician Associate program is adding an addiction medicine course to its curriculum. According to Pillai, addiction medicine in medical and PA school usually consists of a single lecture. But Alvernia PA students will have more than 14 hours of lecture and hands-on skills sessions by the time they graduate, preparing them to combat substance-use disorders.

"In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated over 107,000 people died due to overdose, with racial/ethnic minority groups at greatest risk," Henderson said. "Barriers such as fear of being stigmatized or judged, financial constraints, access to care, and fear of withdrawal often prevent individuals with addiction from seeking professional health care, even in the most dire circumstances. Working per diem at Eagleville Hospital only gave me a glimpse of the drug epidemic and its effects. Witnessing the drug epidemic firsthand in Kensington was and continues to be an eye-opening experience. As a trained physician associate, I am able to use my clinical skills to provide wound care by going to where the people need us. My hope is that this simple act is two-fold: It breaks down barriers and provides access to care."

Alvernia offers two pathways to obtain a Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate Studies: a Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track and a traditional post-baccalaureate track. Alvernia's traditional post-baccalaureate program, designed for students who have obtained a baccalaureate degree, will welcome its first class in August. The program was recently granted Accreditation-Provisional status by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

"We are excited to welcome our inaugural class and contribute to the local healthcare workforce needs in our community by providing them with well-prepared and inter-disciplinary trained graduates," said Physician Associate Program Director Renee Langstaff, MSPAS, PA-C, who recently was invited to sit on the Peer Review Committee for the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults.

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