BY AJ TRAGER
Darnell Jones. BTL Photo: AJ Trager
REDFORD – Darnell Jones, a pharmacist from Redford, was honored as the Community Pharmacist of the Year at the Michigan Pharmacists Association Annual Convention & Exposition held last month.
This award, presented by the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists, recognized Jones for his community pharmacy practice and teaching contributions, as well as for his community outreach working in the trans community over the past few years. MSCP is a practice section of Michigan Pharmacists Association, representing community, independent, chain and outpatient pharmacists in Michigan.
"As a pharmacist I had always prided myself on saying, 'I know where my place is and I know where everybody else's place is.' But when I started working with the trans community, I kept being challenged on it over and over again. One could not be spoken about without the other," Jones said. "I couldn't fix the problem that way because in the trans community, to speak about a healthy transition, you have to speak about the social condition and you have to attack the isolation."
Darnell received his degree in pharmacy from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in 1984. For 17 years he practiced as a pharmacy supervisor, manager and staff pharmacist then spent 12 years as a pharmacy team leader, serving as an immunization trainer, community outreach participant and preceptor to Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences student pharmacists.
He began working with the trans community after developing a project with his interns looking into trans care for presentations for Arlene Kish's Transgender Life Support program at Affirmations. As the project went forward, Jones realized that he had to dig to find the information and encountered multiple roadblocks.
Not long after, he started to dive deeper into the disparities affecting trans individuals and familiarized himself with the trans community. He wanted to provide free, individual hormone consultations for trans men and women and other health care avenues that didn't exist. Through his work, Jones and the team at the Gender-Identity Network Board, a volunteer for trans hormone counseling at Affirmations, developed a pharmacist-centered model of holistic trans care. This model focuses on eliminating the roadblocks in place against current flow of care; addressing the total client social and medical needs in order to increase overall patient health while directly addressing the health disparities for the transgender community; and building a sustainable model for further expansion.
"I went into this knowing that, the first time I walked into Affirmations, if I was going to take this path, I would probably be there for about a year before anybody spoke to me. I recognized that. Trust is important," Jones said.
Currently there is no accreditation for trans medical or mental health therapy practices. Individuals interested in that speciality receive continued education training outside of scheduled graduate study.
Jones is a member of the Board of Directors for Affirmations and was honored with the 2014 Affirmations Ally of the Year Award. He is also board president of GNA. Jones says he is constantly transforming himself while assisting in moderating conversations surrounding self actualization and personal growth.
"I've had situations where people have come in and two or three sessions later I say, 'Are you the same person?' Not because I don't recognize them, but because they've transformed; they're sure," Jones said.
One of Jones's strongest skills is his ability to listen, he says, and change. During his first session at Affirmations, he received one very important comment from a participant that he honors to this day: "Thank you for the opportunity for me to be my real self and be accepted by you."
Jones's first approach when he started this work was to focus on the pharmacy aspects of transition. But after being immersed in the trans community, Jones realized that there was a need beyond his skill set in medication — that the rest of the trans*formation is important.
Many hurdles exist for the trans community, from finding a welcoming place to call home to maintaining a beneficial relationship with a health care physician. Discrimination is around every corner. Community organizations like Affirmations and the Jim Toy Community Center are working in the state to change hearts and minds, but the shift towards nationwide trans inclusion has a long ways to go.
A recent study published in PLOS Medicine found that social disconnection has a similar effect on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Previous studies have found that maintaining strong social networking connections, like staying involved in a chosen community, significantly increases an individual's energy and happiness. Jones believes that opening up to someone greatly improves feelings.
"They may have brought up all the courage that they've ever had to get into that room. If I don't make it so that I can help them, then that may be the difference between them keeping on or saying, 'Well, that was that, I'm done,'" Jones said.
Jones talks about all the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy with his clients so they make more educated decisions moving forward in their transition. However, like most medication, HRT isn't the right avenue for everyone and neither is surgery.
"A lot of my clients are really surprised because they're used to people telling them which direction to go in," he said. "And I sit there and listen for you to figure it out; together we help you get to your desired end point. People get empowered very quickly."
