February 7, 2022

WSU Student Senate partners with PharmD student orgs for COVID-19 protection PSA

By WSU Applebaum Student Pharmacist Joseph Paul Javier

As the university resumes in-person instruction, the Wayne State Student Senate saw the importance of reminding the student body on how to keep themselves protected against COVID-19. As such, student pharmacist and WSU Student Senator representing the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Obioma Opara conceived the idea of creating a public service announcement video to inform students on how to properly wear masks when out in public and how to perform COVID-19 antigen home tests. The PSA, which was produced with the approval of the Campus Health Committee, also reminds students to fill out their Campus Daily Screeners and report any symptoms or possible exposures to COVID-19.

“As students, we are excited to return to campus but many of us still have concerns about staying protected from the coronavirus, especially with the omicron variant, which is more easily transmitted,” Opara said. “Our video PSA was in line with an initiative of the public health project group of the Student Senate. I wanted a way to help protect our WSU students and staff. When we got the green light to start this project, I knew that tapping my fellow student pharmacists to create this video would be the perfect partnership to educate our campus on the latest recommendations to keep our community protected against COVID.”

Opara, who is also the president-elect of WSU’s Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), APhA-ASP vice president-elect for patient education and a member of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, worked with Joseph Paul Javier, president of SNPhA and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) and APhA-ASP vice president for international affairs, to recruit student pharmacists and get their organizations involved in producing the video.

“We’re not free from the threat of COVID-19 even though we’re experiencing COVID-19 fatigue,” said Johnie L. Bailey, SNPhA Project Immunization co-chairperson. “With the recent wave of omicron cases, it’s critical for everyone to properly mask up to protect our campus and the greater community. We all have to stay vigilant and do our best to stop the spread of the virus by filling out our Campus Daily Screeners each day before coming to campus. Ultimately, preventing the spread of COVID-19 is our mandate as professional health care providers. We are all working together to protect our families and children from becoming ill.”

“Filming the PSA was fun and very fulfilling. I'm happy I was able to be part of something that will inform our fellow Wayne State students on the importance of staying safe during the pandemic,” said Macy Shupp, AMCP finance and fundraising intern. “This PSA is important because we are all just coming back to school after studying remotely for so long. Our organization wants to help students and faculty ease back into their daily lives safely. I am glad I was able to represent AMCP in the video because of the opportunities it will give me to inform and help others. We want to protect everyone by encouraging wearing masks and taking COVID-19 tests at home.”

The Wayne State Student Senate COVID-19 protection public service announcement produced with SNPhA, AMCP, APhA-ASP and Kappa Psi is available to watch on Facebook.

Return to news