SIUE School of Pharmacy Hosts Ladies Night Out: Heart Health and Wellness Expo
Rainy weather couldn’t dampen the excitement and activity at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy’s Ladies Night Out: Heart Health and Wellness Expo held Thursday, April 4 at The Weingarten in Belleville.
Organized by the School of Pharmacy’s American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), Ladies Night Out provided public awareness and education about women’s heart health and wellness, 
and promoted the profession of pharmacy and pharmacists’ role as a women’s health resource.
The event featured Zumba classes, blood pressure and depression screenings, and educational information and giveaways from more than 20 vendors, including the SOP’s Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) organization.
“Pharmacists are the public’s most accessible health care provider,” said event organizer and APhA-ASP Operation Heart Chair Sarah Surmeier, a third-year pharmacy student from Belleville. 
“Therefore, if we increase our presence in the community, then we build relationships and trust with patients. Our outreach events allow us the opportunity to help address unmet needs in our community’s public health and communicate with patients to find out how we can best serve them.”
The YMCA and Hospice Volunteer Initiative sponsored the successful event. Proceeds from the Ladies Night Out: Heart Health and Wellness Expo were donated to the American Heart Association.
Photos: Third-year School of Pharmacy student Smita Rausaria checks the blood pressure of event participant Sue Slimack, of Belleville.
At the Ladies Night Event, many attendees enjoyed Zumba classes led by instructor Sonja Collins.
Third-year School of Pharmacy student Deja Finley shares educational information with event participants Mary Schmitt and Jamie Kuhn, of Freeburg.
