SPOKANE, Wash. – A $500,000 donation from Walgreens will provide funding for an interprofessional auditorium and learning environment in the new Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building at Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy, WSU Dean Gary M. Pollack announced Wednesday.
The donation, which furthers collaboration between Walgreens and the university, will also provide a foundation for future partnership opportunities to develop curricula and outcomes studies. The announcement came at a campus event to celebrate the college’s move to the new facility, taking place this month, with a large group of alumni and friends in attendance.
“This is a differentiating and generous donation that will allow us to develop capacity in the crucial area of health outcomes research and education,” Pollack said. “We value our relationship with Walgreens and look forward to working with them to develop new models of health care delivery and new roles for pharmacists as health care reform continues to evolve,” he said.
The college will name the 150-seat auditorium the “Walgreens Auditorium.”
“The Walgreens brand promise of ‘Well’ synchronizes with our college’s vision to be a leader in advancing, promoting and protecting human health. Walgreens and the college share the philosophy that there is great opportunity for pharmacists to play a much larger role within our health care system,” said Linda Garrelts MacLean, associate dean at the college.
Walgreens, the nation’s largest pharmacy chain, employs more than 27,000 pharmacists across its 8,131 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The company has played a leading role in the industry by transforming community pharmacy and expanding the role that pharmacists play in health care.
“We’re proud to support this project and great new facility that will give pharmacy students and others entering the health care field a first-class learning environment for many decades to come,” said Justin Coyle, Walgreens market pharmacy director. “Many of today’s students will become tomorrow’s health care leaders, and Walgreens will continue to work to ensure that pharmacists can practice at the top of their profession to help meet the needs of the communities we serve.”
Contact:
Lorraine Nelson, WSU College of Pharmacy communications, 509-368-6671, lanelson@wsu.edu