Seeing drug abuse from the other side of the bottle… at the morgue

Doing a rotation with MUSC pharmacy alumna Dottie Farfone always promises to be an enlightening experience. Patient counseling, body bags, specialty pharmacy, first-hand…

Wait. What was that second one again?

Mallory George finished her Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) at Dottie’s Specialty Pharmacy with an unusual flourish, since Dotttie’s has partnered with the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office and Ernest E. Kennedy Center to create PEPPI – Prescription Education Partnership on Prevention Initiative, recently featured on WCSC-TV.

On Tuesday, July 23, George’s PEPPI experience included a visit to the coroner’s office where students learned about opiod use in the community, worked through real-life scenarios, and got insight into how pharmacists can help fight back against this epidemic.

“It was a moving experience,” said George, a second-year student at the MUSC College of Pharmacy. “And it was an amazing perk while completing my Advanced IPPE rotation at Dottie's Pharmacy.” 

Other MUSC pharmacy students participating in the July 23 PEPPI included Itxamaris Ocasio, Max Chilton, Brianna Williams, and Connor McLean.

The opioid epidemic in South Carolina has reached alarming levels. According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, opioid overdoses have increased in the state since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to heightened anxiety, social isolation, and depression.

Farfone, ’99, founded Dottie’s Specialty Pharmacy with husband Scott Farfone in 2012, has long held a passion for community outreach. In 2019, she was honored with the MUSC College of Pharmacy’s highest alumni honor, The Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Mallory George (bottom) P2, Itxamaris Ocasio (middle left) P1, Brianna Williams (middle right) P3, Matt Chilton (top left) P1, and Connor McLean (top right) P2, shown in the supply closet of the Berkeley County Coroner's Office, right next to the white body bags.