Pharmaceuticals and job training

Eunice pharmacist and pharmacy owner Aurdie Bellard and South Louisiana Community College leaders Jermaine Ford and Charlene Jones were among the August Rotary guest speakers.
Bellard told the crowd about how he got into the pharmaceutical field.
Bellard, who spoke at the Aug. 16 meeting, said, “My advisor at LSUE said, “‘Medicine never sleeps. Are you sure you want to do this?’ I switched from petroleum engineer to pharmacy, and he told me I was going to have to start all over again (with my studies).
“This is what I want to do. I have an uncle who is a pharmacist. I have dedicated my life to medicine. Our mission is to help take care of the elderly.”
Bellard said one of the ways he assists the elderly is by helping them understand the Medicare parts.
“Several times people come in, and their co-pay has gone from $15 to $40,” he said. “I’ve seen co-pays go from 50 cents to $5 to $8. Some of the elderly are strapped for cash. We find them a feasible plan for their income. We find the doughnut hole. It’s a rewarding experience, helping them save money. I do it for the love of people.”
Bellard owns Bellards Family Pharmacy in Eunice, and he has been a pharmacist for 28 years. Belllard is also board certified for dermatology. The pharmacy opened in 2000, and services at the pharmacy include prescription compounding.
Bellard said that in almost three decades of pharmacy work, he has seen many changes in the industry.
“Last year, they (the government) passed numerous bills last year that effect pharmacies,” he said. “(Senator) Eric Lafleur gives us a heads up on what is going on in Baton Rouge.
“Please support your local, independent pharmacy.”
In 2006, Bellard went into the medical supply business.
“We supply everything from diabetes strips to hospital beds to pressure mattresses,” he said.
Bellard said the time of the year for immunization and pneumonia shots is right around the corner, and in October, he and his staff will assist customers looking to reevaluate their Medicare plans. The pharmacist also plans to have a “clean room” for IV fluids up and running in the next 18 months.
Bellard said being a pharmacist is a constant learning experience for him, and he is constantly educating himself.
“I’ve been going at it,” he said. “It has been a joy.”
On Aug. 30, Ford and Jones spoke about the latest news from the C.B. Coreil Campus of the South Louisiana Community College.
Ford said the college system, which has eight campus, is currently focused on short-term training programs for high growth jobs. The degree path for the short-training programs is six months or less.
“Who wants to guess a number of how many jobs we have in the pipeline?” he asked. “We have 16,000 jobs right now that are lending themselves to men and women who have gone through short-term training. People come out of short term training and immediately go to work. No longer is it you come thorough the programming and hope you get a job. You come through our program, and you are going to be gainfully employed.”
The campus currently has programs for medical assistant, practical nursing and welding and associate degrees in general studies and business administration.
Jones said, “We have some great programs. Some of the new things going on at the campus include campus security and campus upgrades. One of the challenges we have is transportation, students getting to and from school, but some students do carpool.”
Jones said that campus is looking for volunteers to help tutor students in math.
Ford recently visited the Ville Platte campus, and he is working to get the automotive program reinstated very soon as a non-credit program, and there will be two tiers to the program — service technician and parts technician. Ford said he is visiting vehicle dealerships and Acadian Ambulance to speak to managers about hiring graduates from the programs.
“When we visited with Acadian Ambulance to tell them about getting the program reestablished, they said ‘We need graduates from this program,’” Ford said. “One of the things we heard from dealerships in this particular area is that there is such a dire need for skilled, well-trained people.
“We are very committed to making sure the parts technicians and auto technicians that go through this program are well trained and skilled. We are very student-centered.”
Ford said that while non-traditional students cannot get financial aid for the program, SLCC has partnered with the local workforce board to have the program approved for those that are unemployed or underemployed. SLCC is also partnering with the UL Credit Union to help non-traditional students fund their way through the program.
Ford said the perks of using the credit union to pay for the program include establishing credit and money being spent in the community, and those that use the union can go back to the bank later for car and home loans.
“These people will be gainfully employed in a high growth industry, and they will be spending money,” he said.
Ford said those who complete the school’s truck driving program enter a field with 10,000 jobs. Those who complete the scaffolding program enter a field with 6,000 jobs — 3,000 in the Lake Charles area and 3,000 in the Baton Rouge area.
“Scaffold workers build, maintain and take down scaffolding,” Ford said. “I tell people that is job security, and it’s a high growth job.”
Ford said he would eventually like to establish a carpentry program within the college.