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Balls Food Stores

PGY1 Community-based Pharmacy Residency Program

ABOUT BALLS FOOD STORES

Balls Food Stores is a family-owned supermarket chain local to the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is comprised of 25 supermarkets with 19 pharmacies operating under the banners of Price Chopper, Hen House Market, Sun Fresh, and PayLess Discount Foods as well as Tippin’s Pies. The company provides outstanding corporate support for pharmacy services. The resident will work on programs with all 19 pharmacies; however, the resident will be based out of a single location with a primary preceptor on site. The current residency site is in Overland Park, KS approximately 12 miles from the UMKC Hospital Hill Campus. The resident will also practice at a secondary Price Chopper location in Kansas City, MO approximately 5 miles away.

About the Community Residency Position with Balls Food Stores

The Community Pharmacy Residency Program with Balls Food Stores was established in July 2001 in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The residency has been ASHP-APhA accredited since 2005. The residency spans over a period of 12 months starting at the end of June. Balls Food Stores precepts APPE students from two area schools of pharmacy, allowing the resident to interact with student pharmacists throughout the year. There is also the opportunity for didactic teaching at UMKC School of Pharmacy through the Resident Teaching Program.

Resident Activities

  • Disease State Management through the Balls Employee Health Program called Start Now.

    • Conduct monthly to quarterly coaching visits with 20-40 assigned patients through the diabetes & cardiovascular programs.

    • Make evidence-based drug therapy recommendations to optimize targeted chronic disease states.

    • Conduct Know Your Risk, Know Your Numbers (KYRKYN) biometric screenings for employees and spouses.

  • Immunizations including travel health vaccinations and community-based immunization clinics.

  • Medication Therapy Management (MTM) including comprehensive and targeted medication reviews.

  • Practice management including development and implementation of new service lines, marketing, revenue-generation, and managerial functions.

  • Complete a practice-based project including design, implementation, and evaluation, and present the results. The resident may choose to pursue scholarly publication of the project.

Residency Benefits

  • Private office space including a computer and printer.

  • Laptop with mobile broadband access.

  • $70,000 annual salary with medical/prescription/dental/eye insurance available.

  • Two weeks paid vacation and paid holidays.

  • Travel allowance to attend regional and national meetings or training opportunities.

  • Adjunct affiliate faculty status through UMKC with access to UMKC library and research resources.

  • Missouri Pharmacy Association membership with access to practice and advocacy resources.

Meet our Preceptors

Overland Park Price Chopper Primary Residency Site Preceptor:
Erin Moore, Pharm.D., earned her degree in 2015 from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. She completed the PGY1 Community Practice Residency with the University of Kansas and Balls Food Stores in 2016 and is currently the pharmacy manager at the primary pharmacy site. Dr. Moore has served as a primary site residency preceptor providing day-to-day mentorship for over 5 years. She also provides training for new pharmacist- in-charge. Additionally, she pilots quality improvement initiatives in pharmacy operations, evaluates the viability, and leads chain-wide implementation of new processes.

Balls Food Stores Employee Health Programs Coordinator:
Nikki Schwartze, Pharm.D., BCACP, earned her degree in 2007 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY1 Ambulatory Care Residency with an emphasis in Public Health with UMKC and the Kansas City Free Health Clinic (now KC CARE Health Center) the following year. Dr. Schwartze has been the Start Now Employee Health Programs Coordinator for Balls Food Stores for over 15 years. In this role, she enhances clinical patient services and delivers high- quality healthcare. Dr. Schwartze oversees daily operations and manages a team of pharmacists and residents, ensuring a collaborative approach to patient care and professional development.

UMKC Residency Program Director:
Sarah Oprinovich, Pharm.D., BCACP is a Clinical Associate Professor specializing in community-based pharmacy. She earned her degree from Purdue University in 2009 and completed the PGY1 Community-based Residency program with UMKC and Price Chopper the following year. She has experience in chain and independent pharmacy and has served as a residency director for over 10 years. In her position at UMKC, she practices as Balls Foods providing services in the Start Now Employee Health program, medication therapy management, and immunizations. Additionally, she leads pilot patient care projects to assess viability for incorporation into other Balls Foods locations. She teaches in the pharmacotherapy course and lab series with an emphasis on non- prescription medicine and serves as the community pharmacy expert in other courses. She serves the profession through active involvement in the Missouri Pharmacy Association, CPESN-MO network, and Academia- Community-Transformation Collaborative. She precepts residents for the Major Project and assists in teaching and patient care.

Additional Preceptors:

  • Michael Halliwell, B.S. Pharm – Director of Pharmacy & Whole Health Pharmacy
  • Stephanie Dean, Pharm.D. – Project Specialist

Application and Selection Process: Selection of residents will be based on their community pharmacy experience, interest in advancing community pharmacy practice, desire to provide direct patient care, and leadership skills. The resident must be a motivated and self-directed individual. Candidates should submit a completed application including letter of intent, academic transcript, curriculum vitae, and three recommendation forms through PhORCAS. Qualified candidates will be invited for an interview and selection will take place through the ASHP Residency Match Program. Contact Sarah Oprinovich at oprinovichs@umkc.edu or Erin Moore at erin.moore@ballsfoods.com for more information.