KINGSTON, R.I. — May 8, 2006 — The 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 College of Pharmacy has named its physical assessment workshop in memory of an alumnus who saved the life a woman in the midst of a stroke.
During recent ceremonies at the College that launched this spring鈥檚 assessment workshop, Pharmacy Dean Donald E. Letendre announced that it would now be called the Adam J. Mendelson, Pharm D. Physical Assessment Workshop.
Mendelson, who died about six months after graduation from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2002, worked in the Tiogue Avenue Brooks Pharmacy in Coventry when a woman came in complaining of a severe headache.
鈥淎dam asked the woman to sit down and because of his training, he took her blood pressure and noticed that it was very high,鈥� Letendre said. 鈥淗e asked her to remain seated, took her blood pressure again, and then calmly called 911.鈥�
At the hospital, the woman was treated for a mild stroke and recovered. 鈥淎dam鈥檚 assessment skills and quick action saved the woman鈥檚 life,鈥� Letendre said.
A plaque to be mounted in the College reads: 鈥淚n memory of Dr. Adam J. Mendelson, a dedicated professional who valued the skills he learned here at the College of Pharmacy, and who brought these skills to his workplace.鈥�
Cathy Alvarez, manager of the Patient Care Center for Brooks, was Mendelson鈥檚 supervisor for a year-and-a-half.
鈥淚 remember that day because it was a Sunday and Adam always worked on Sundays,鈥� said Alvarez, a 1976 溏心vlog免费B站 pharmacy graduate. 鈥淚 was filling prescriptions and Adam was at the counter and he could see the patient was having trouble. He went out and sat with her, talked with her and remained calm through it all.鈥�
dam鈥檚 father, Martin Mendelson, was moved by the ceremony. 鈥淭o have this whole program dedicated to my son is outstanding. You couldn鈥檛 do anything nicer,鈥� the North Kingstown resident said.
鈥淎dam was so determined to become a pharmacist and to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives,鈥� said his mother, Carolyn Mendelson of Warwick. 鈥淗e had to work extra hard to achieve and he was always studying. When a child dies, parents all wish that others could have known him. And usually, the influence and memories remain only with the family. But Adam took the knowledge from this class, noticed this woman鈥檚 needs. Now, his legacy will influence other young pharmacy students.鈥�
Celia MacDonnell, 溏心vlog免费B站 assistant clinical professor of pharmacy, who helped spearhead the effort to name the assessment program in Mendelson鈥檚 honor said, 鈥淲e had students in the assessment program attend the ceremonies because we wanted them to know how important these skills are. Some might think they are not related, but they are going to use them in their careers. Adam valued these skills and because of that he saved a woman鈥檚 life.鈥�
This year鈥檚 assessment program ran three days this spring and involved 86 fifth-year students pursing their six-year doctor of pharmacy degrees. The students evaluated 23 patients with chronic illnesses, assessing their blood pressures and pulses. They also listened to the patients鈥� breathing, completed foot exams for patients with diabetes and probed for evidence of skin cancer. A skills instructor was paired with each student team.
Because Brooks Pharmacy sponsors the program and supplies students with stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs they can keep, the College presented Brooks officials with a plaque for their support.
GRADUATION DAY: The late Adam J. Mendelson is all smiles after earning his doctor of pharmacy degree from the 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2002. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Mendelson.