In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, CUSP’s CSHP/ASHP student chapter hosted their annual Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). MHAW brought together all cohorts and academic programs at the Rinker Campus over a diverse series of activities designed to promote education and awareness in the newly completed Campus Center.

Last year’s MHAW was so impactful that our students were awarded the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) Student Chapter Community Service Project Award. Building on the success of last year, student leaders and PharmD candidates Christopher Tran, Misty Vu, and Kierra Koehn continued the program’s impact by adding wider range of events.

In hosting the events in the Campus Center, CSHP/ASHP students were able to interact with the students who spend time on campus on breaks in between classes. “While each different school typically has classes around different places, the Campus Center is a beautiful place that we all meet together,” says Christopher Tran. “I’m glad that we were able to work and bring in the other colleges we have on campus. We were able to bring in Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Speech and Language Pathology students to learn about the importance of mental health awareness.”

The larger, shared space allowed for guest speakers and external organizations to partner with CUSP, including both NAMI OC and Care Possible. The organizations provided resources for students, both for themselves and also for their patients, and distributed tools that impact patient lives. “One piece of feedback I heard from students was that the Narcan provided by Care Possible was one of their favorites,” says Misty Vu. “It is important for students to know some of the available mental health resources right in their backyard, and having these external organizations come was a great touch.”

The CSHP/ASHP chapter also coordinated support from several departments internal to Chapman University, including the Student Psychological Counseling Services. Julie Barbour, Rinker’s counselor, supported events each day and tabled on the last day. Thanks to Julie Barbour, dozens of gratitude journals were raffled off, encouraging students to reflect on and express their thankfulness.

Event Highlights

Tuesday:
Julie Barbour led a Session on Burnout during lunch, offering strategies for managing stress and preventing burnout. Students who attended were entered into a raffle, adding an element of excitement to the informative session.

Wednesday:
CSHP/ASHP tabled at the front entrance of the Campus Center and distributed green ribbons to symbolize mental health awareness. Passing students engaged in a Q&A on mental health topics and earned prizes on a spinning wheel. Students also had the opportunity to fill out mental health ribbon post-it notes with personal affirmations or self-care tips.

Thursday:
The final day of programming concluded with the MHAW Fair on Thursday, which had the most programming and utilized most of the Campus Center loft area. Not only did CUSP have a presence in coordinating activities, but the graduate programs from Crean College offered at Rinker also had the opportunity to represent their program and bring their ideas to be part of MHAW.

  • Therapy puppies cuddled and played with students.
  • Pete the Panther, the university mascot, made an appearance and posed for photos.
  • Julie Barbour, CUSP professor Dr. Mary Gutierrez, NAMI OC, and Care Possible hosted their own tables, offering resources and support.
  • The Department of Physical Therapy had reflection activities and provided strawberries from one of their faculty’s local farms.
  • Physician Assistant students shared affirmation lollipops.
  • Katie Fugnetti, CUSP’s Career Specialist, offered a peaceful break with two 15-minute meditation sessions in the Campus Center’s Wellness Room.
  • The afternoon closed with a raffle drawing, awarding students who had engaged with activities throughout the week. Prizes included mental wellness prizes, such as gratitude journals, Chapman University swag items, and handmade blankets.

Mental Health Awareness Week at Chapman University School of Pharmacy was made possible because of collaborative efforts of students, staff, faculty, and external partners. This would not have been possible without Dr. Gutierrez, CUSP professor, and Dr. Jerika Lam, CSHP/ASHP advisor. The diverse range of activities and resources provided a comprehensive approach to mental health advocacy, education, and support, and brought the two colleges on Rinker campus together for yet another great Mental Health Awareness Week.