February 18, 2025

From the beginning of his pharmacy education, Scott Sexton believed that volunteerism would help lead him to work filled with passion and purpose. He found himself drawn to rural communities where access to health care is often a struggle. Offering free rural health clinics and kickstarting an ambulatory pharmacy practice for rural communities were just a few of the ways Sexton gave back while building his career. These experiences provided a unique education about what rural communities need and how he could put his pharmacy training to work to make a difference. He brings years of rural-focused pharmacy training to his new role as RuralRx Internship Coordinator for the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative program, funded in part by Carolina Across 100.

“The RuralRx Program is already having a tremendous impact on the state of North Carolina, with potential to do so much more,” said Sexton. “I’m eager to keep growing the number of Carolina pharmacy students who are making strong connections in rural communities and realizing their ability to directly improve lives.”

Sexton says the most important building blocks of successful rural health care programs include understanding what it means to be a part of a community and how collaborative problem solving can help remove barriers to health care.

Students are eager to explore a variety of practice settings during their educational years. Internships like RuralRx help them narrow down their field of focus. Sexton says these early professional experiences also help students become part of a community, often influencing where they choose to work after they graduate. By providing a structured rural internship program, RuralRx is opening doors for more students to better understand this unique practice area and, in turn, growing the rural health care workforce.

“Hearing about the tremendous impact that a pharmacist practicing in a rural community can have on their patients is inspiring,” said Sexton. “Seeing that impact first-hand is even more powerful.”

In addition to energizing and growing the rural health workforce with future pharmacists, the RuralRx program hopes to aid in the development of new clinical services that the pharmacists at these sites can provide to their patients moving forward. Pharmacy students support the staff at rural health hubs they serve. Before the RuralRx program, some of these preventative services were limited, often requiring patients to visit a primary care physician.

A primary goal of the RuralRx Internship Program is to collaborate with the preceptors, or mentors, at rural pharmacy hubs and provide them with the tools to benefit from this educational opportunity. Throughout each internship, Carolina students experience a rich opportunity to serve patients in underserved areas. These experiences help prepare students for post-graduate learning experiences, like fellowship and residency, as they continue to grow their clinical skillsets and abilities to help this patient population. Ultimately, this program is positioned to grow the pharmacist workforce in rural regions and advance the practice of pharmacy across the state.

Sexton is dedicated to helping the RuralRx Internship Program meet its potential to improve health care access in North Carolina’s rural communities. From his own experiences helping rural residents seek baseline health assessments or advice on medication management, he knows that Carolina students are up to the task.

“Helping people is the reason most students give for choosing a career in pharmacy,” said Sexton. “I cannot think of a better opportunity for our students to realize the value and the support they can offer to their patients while they are still in school.”

The Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative is an Initiative of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. This effort is contributing to the growth of the rural health care workforce and working with community partners to expand upon team-based and collaborative health care innovations through the expansion of rural pharmacy hubs. Carolina Across 100 partnered with the School to launch the third rural pharmacy health hub.

“We’re proud to support the important work of improving rural health outcomes with an eye toward growing the rural health care workforce,” said Anita Brown-Graham, ncIMPACT Initiative director and lead coordinator of Carolina Across 100. “It is clear that the RuralRx Internship Program is poised to help more Carolina graduates have a long-term impact in these communities.”

Carolina Across 100 is a five-year initiative, led by the ncIMPACT Initiative, seeking to support community-driven recovery and build sustainable efforts in all 100 counties by providing human resources, data insights, coaching, facilitation, coordination efforts, and program design. The Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative is the fourth program in this larger initiative. Carolina Across 100 is funded by the Office of the Chancellor and private foundations.

The ncIMPACT Initiative coordinates Carolina Across 100. ncIMPACT is a statewide initiative launched by the UNC School of Government in 2017 to help local communities use data and evidence to improve conditions and inform decision-making.