October 2019
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to officially welcome you all to the fall season. Whether it is football, your favorite television show returning, or pumpkin spice everything, I am sure you will find something to be happy about this time of year.
This past month I participated in a number of activities representing the section. First I attended Policy Week (September 9-13, 2019), where I was able to see first-hand all of the hard work that is required to ensure we have appropriate up-to-date ASHP policies that address the challenges in our health care environment. There were robust discussions in all Councils and I was impressed by the level of commitment and passion of the individuals selected to represent ASHP’s membership.
During Policy Week we all participated in Legislative day. This provided an opportunity for all in attendance to meet with Congress and provide education on the important role pharmacists play on the health care team. We advocated for action to decrease the number of drug shortages, increase transparency to rising drug costs, and expand pharmacists’ ability to treat opioid addiction. This was an extremely rewarding experience and I would encourage all of you to reach out to your members of Congress to advocate for the needs of our patients and the profession.
An Opportunity to Act Now
An emerging urgent issue shared on our Legislative Day visits are the arbitrary and inconsistent penalties imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that are putting residency funding in jeopardy. ASHP recently sent a message to all members to “Ask Congress to Protect Funding for Pharmacy Residency Programs”. Please take a few minutes and communicate with your members of Congress utilizing the very easy to use link provided to address this important issue.
ASHP has tools available to assist in your individual advocacy efforts. Other ways for you to get involved is to volunteer for an ASHP Council or Commission. We all need to do our part to ensure our patients receive the care they deserve and that pharmacists are in the most optimal position to provide care.
Section Advisory Groups and Committees
Our Section Advisory Groups and Committees have kicked off their meetings this month. They are working on establishing their goals for the year to meet our strategic plan initiatives. Over my next few messages I would like to highlight the work of each SAG. This month I would like to focus on our new SAG – New and Emerging Leaders. The focus of this SAG is to develop leadership tools for those individuals finding themselves in a leadership role for the first time. The group will be challenged with generating ideas and resources for educational programing and workshops focusing on leadership development. The team is being led by Chair Heather Jones and Co-Chair Tom Achey. They are currently evaluating the charges for the group and creating goals for the team. I am thrilled to have them leading the way in these efforts and look forward to communicating their outcomes in a future communication.
Celebrating our Pharmacy Teams – Pharmacy Week
Don’t forget Pharmacy Week is just around the corner and we all need to take a moment to celebrate our teams and the important care we provide to our patients, communities, co-workers, and interprofessional peers. ASHP has great resources to utilize from Ideas on How to Observe the National Pharmacy Week to Celebrate Your Technicians During Pharmacy Week.
Conference for Pharmacy Leaders
Just as a reminder the ASHP Conference for Pharmacy Leaders is quickly approaching. If you have not registered for the Conference or one of the exciting pre-conference meetings please consider doing so. We look forward to seeing you there. As always if you have any comments or suggestions please contact me via email sections@ashp.org.
Best regards,
Sam Calabrese, B.S.Pharm., M.B.A., FASHP
Chair, Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders (2019-2020)
sections@ashp.org