Bath Housing resident Betsy Glazier has her blood pressure checked by UNE College of Pharmacy student Alexa Michaud. Contributed photo

After a year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bath Housing, in partnership with the University of New England, is reviving blood pressure screening and medication reconciliation clinics for their residents.

These clinics allow examination of a resident’s current prescriptions, which sometimes originate from different doctors, to red-flag any possible conflicts.

“Medication adherence is one of the key things we focus on,” said UNE College of Pharmacy assistant clinical professor Haley Choi, who oversees the medication review clinics as part of her teaching curriculum. “Sometimes, for a number of reasons, we find that residents are just not taking the medications they should be taking, or are not taking them in the right way.”

Choi and her students will also help residents determine the most cost effective way to get their prescriptions.

Bath Housing was able to reinstate the clinics as over 70% of residents have become vaccinated.

“It was definitely challenging for people to see their providers during the pandemic, especially when city buses were not running,” Choi said. “We often connected with some people beyond just blood pressure checks when we made a visit, so I would say it definitely cut off this avenue that was an extra resource for these people.”

UNE College of Pharmacy student Alexa Michaud examines prescriptions for a Bath Housing resident. Contributed photo