Members can opt in to any of these SIGs for networking opportunities and work on potential projects. Several other SIGs are in various stages of development.

To date, Leal has gathered more than 15,000 signatures from physicians, patients, pharmacists, and a senator from Kentucky. Her grassroots effort was profiled on January 15 in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper.

Leal works in a community health center that is a recognized medical home and has been having challenges integrating into the medical home model because the lack of provider status causes payment challenges in her work setting.

APhA has been in frequent contact with Leal to get updates from her, and we facilitated a conference call she had with a CMS representative. We have been supportive of her efforts to raise awareness about pharmacists and lack of provider status by promoting them in our electronic communication vehicles.

We’ll continue to update you as this initiative progresses.

As we look back on the past year and anticipate the next, I “zoom in” to recalling the many conversations, e-mails, and letters this past year from individuals in all walks of pharmacy who have expressed the full range of emotions about our profession. As we “zoom out” to look at the macro view, we see huge challenges in the economy and old business model for pharmacy, while also witnessing major positive changes in the attitudes of policymakers and those in our colleague professions. And we see pharmacy systems and business changes that bode well for pharmacists and the patients we serve, if we can step up when the opportunities arise. Payers will increasingly turn to pharmacists to help them meet quality goals, and pharmacy employers are really gearing up with new technology, services, training, store configurations, and systems to make the conversion from buy low, sell high to the provision of enhanced patient care.

Yes, we’ve got a long way to go, and that’s where the frustration arises, at all levels. But in this season of thanks, hope, and new beginnings, I look forward to learning from you as we continue our path of advocacy and innovation. We will continue to highlight exemplary practices in our publications and meetings, and we’ll be driving for changes that empower you to provide the kind of care Americans deserve. We must succeed! Our patients are waiting.

On behalf of the staff and volunteer leadership at APhA, I hope you and your families enjoy a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

According to our pharmacist.com news article, Leal believes people should sign the petition because now—while health care reform is being implemented—is a “critical time to assert ourselves as pharmacists.” So far, the impact of the petition has been to educate people that pharmacists do not actually have provider status. She hopes to reach 10,000 signatures, a realistic goal considering that more than 7,000 pharmacists, physicians, patients, and legislators have signed the petition since it started on November 15.

Leal told pharmacist.com that she will keep the petition open until she receives enough signatures to make a difference. Sign on in support!

APhA is seeking pharmacist members who wish to be considered for the elective offices of APhA President-elect for 2013–14 and two Board of Trustees positions for 2013–16. The 2013–14 President-elect will serve as President of the Association for 2014–15 and as Immediate Past President in 2015–16. The two Trustees will serve for 2013–16.

Individuals submitting their name for consideration must provide the following by December 15, 2011 (items may be submitted electronically to blawson@aphanet.org unless indicated otherwise):

1. Completed and signed Nomination Form: 2013–16 APhA Board of Trustees Candidate Application
2. A current résumé or curriculum vitae
3. A headshot photo suitable for publication (minimum of 300 dpi)
4. Confirmation that you have submitted your Disclosure and Confidentiality Statement to APhA’s Legal Counsel. The form is confidential and is submitted separately from the nomination packet. Please complete and submit form online (which goes to APhA’s Legal Counsel)

For more information about elected leadership positions available within APhA-APPM, APhA-APRS, and on the APhA Board of Trustees, please visit www.pharmacist.com/elections.

Questions? Contact Brian Lawson at (202) 429-7548 or blawson@aphanet.org.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading her observations, which are sprinkled with wisdom and humor. I hope you enjoy her letter, too.

Dear Tom,

After spending some time reflecting, I can say with certainty that the Carl F. Emswiller Summer Internship in Association Management has been one of the greatest blessings in my life thus far. There are countless tangible reasons that have made my time in DC remarkable—both personally and professionally—but there are also many indescribable feelings that have made this a summer to remember. I will try my best to express that which I can, and where plain words cannot fully capture my experiences, I will simply have my memories to suffice.

I want to start with the things I know for certain after spending 10 short weeks at APhA headquarters.

Staff

• APhA staff are a unique group; every person I met greeted me with a smile and was genuinely interested in learning more about who I am
• The family-friendly atmosphere at work made APhA a very pleasant place to be every day
• If you are willing to learn, the professionals at APhA are more than willing to teach
• The value of each publication and resource that APhA provides for its members, as well as the different writing styles and amount of planning involved by dedicated APhA staff

Students

• The optimism and motivation of APhA–ASP student leaders are contagious and the future of the profession looks bright
• The Student Development staff work hard every day to ensure that student pharmacists have the tools available to mold themselves into the best possible future practitioners and leaders
• The student representation in APhA’s House of Delegates and on the Board of Trustees is extremely unique, meaningful, gratifying, and unmatched in the profession

Association/Operations

• The view from the Potomac Terrace at APhA headquarters is breathtaking
• Hill visits are an adrenaline rush and everyone should try it—if not for the betterment of our profession, then for your own personal experience
• Although working in association management did not provide direct patient interaction, the work being done here on the front end translates to direct patient care on the back end through the education and professional development resources we provide our members
• It takes time to learn the workflow of the office and it is important to be able to adapt quickly
• The history of this Association and building is something to be proud of
• The security guards are very helpful and nonjudgmental when your badge doesn’t work for weeks on end
• Whoever makes the coffee in the kitchen each morning is a saint

Future plans/Lessons learned

• I will be doing a residency of some kind upon graduation
• Being a leader for pharmacy involves so much more than what meets the eye
• The importance of networking cannot be expressed in words
• Attention to detail is imperative no matter how big or small the task may be
• I will be a member of APhA for life

Other

• Every person has a story to share and is unique in how they got to where they are today
• Do not be afraid to ask questions because some of the best opportunities arise out of simple curiosity
• Interprofessional collaboration on issues such as MTM [medication therapy management], HIT [health information technology], prescription drug monitoring, public/media relations and much, much more is essential for the progression of the profession
• It takes many experts and professionals besides pharmacists to successfully run an association
• The lobster food truck lived up to the hype

Some things that I am still unsure of …

• Where my career path will lead
• How my experiences here will influence choices I make in the future
• The impact of the pharmacy advocacy APhA is doing today and how it will shape the practice of pharmacy tomorrow
• The best way for our profession to continue to embrace technology and make the transition from an emphasis on dispensary services to more clinical services and patient interaction
• How to get more practitioners to push the envelope and be innovators/agents of change for pharmacy practice, as Carl Emswiller and Gene White were during their careers
• What pharmacy will look like 50 years from now, in 2061 (I will be 74!)
• If I will ever be half as good as Hazel Pipkin

Thank you to everyone who has helped to guide me along the way. No matter how big or small our interaction may have been, I am forever grateful and will always look back on my time here at APhA and smile. The work you do here affects pharmacists, student pharmacists, and so many other health care professionals in a positive way. Ultimately, what you do serves to better the quality of patient care across the nation. For that, I take my hat off to each of you, and ask that you please continue the great work you do in the name of pharmacy.

Pharmaceutically yours,

Kelley L. Ratermann
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
PharmD candidate 2013

As I write this, I’m sitting at the airport, waiting for my flight to Iowa to participate in Tom’s farewell event. Along the way, I’ll be visiting several Iowa pharmacies and both the Drake and Iowa schools of pharmacy, thanks to our Board of Trustees member Matt Osterhaus and a host of his fellow Iowans.

Below is a speech given by Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa on the House floor in honor of Tom and his many contributions to pharmacy in Iowa.

Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to congratulate my good friend Tom Temple on his upcoming retirement from the Iowa Pharmacy Association. Tom has served in his current role at the Iowa Pharmacy Association since 1980, and has become a friend and adviser to me.

Tom has dedicated his life to medicine, and has been a leader on pharmaceutical issues across the state of Iowa. He has served as CEO of the Iowa Pharmacy Foundation and the Collaborative Education Institute. He has assisted numerous professional organizations including the American Pharmacists Association, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and the American Society of Association Executives.

Tom has also been active in the higher education community, advising universities on current issues affecting the pharmaceutical industry. He served on the Advisory Committees for Drake University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy.

Tom has been a tremendous advocate for Iowa pharmacists. When I was traveling in Afghanistan earlier this year, and came across a tiny pharmacy in a village there, my first thought was, “wouldn’t Tom Temple get a kick out of this?”

Tom will be missed very much by his colleagues and peers in the coming years, but his influence and leadership will never be forgotten. I congratulate him on all of his success and wish him a rewarding and relaxing future.

On the surface, it may seem that comparing an automated machine with a real, live human is just about efficiency. But these comments are just one piece of a much larger conversation about how we can increase accuracy and reduce medication errors through the adoption of empowering technology and thus allow pharmacists to do all the great things we can do to improve patient care.

The reality is that, as all pharmacists know, machines are only as efficient and accurate as the humans who program and use them. As our colleagues at the National Community Pharmacists Association point out, there are many things pharmacists can do, and are doing, that a machine simply cannot. While nearly all pharmacies in America use Certified Pharmacy Technicians to hand prescription medications to patients, others use mail carriers. All pharmacies use pharmacists—and only pharmacists—to provide patient counseling, and often to each others’ patients.

Community pharmacy plays an important role in patient care. Pharmacists are more than just medication dispensers, or as aptly put by a major chain CEO in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, we’re about more than pills in a bottle—we’re about improved patient outcomes:

• We counsel patients on drug interactions, side effects, safety, and efficacy of the medications they take.
• We advise patients on how to use OTC medications and supplements safely and effectively, often in conjunction with prescriptions.
• We hold conversations with patients on why they have to take a medication as directed and why the medication is important.
• We evaluate medication histories and catch potentially serious dosing and interaction problems.
• We counsel on managing chronic conditions.
• We immunize.
• We work with the patient’s physicians to clarify, adjust, and advise regarding therapy, and to help problem solve when patients can’t afford their medications.

Community pharmacies are handling dramatically increased volumes by adopting enhanced technology, employing and training highly qualified technicians, and adopting systems to identify opportunities for assisting prescribers in recognizing opportunities to optimize therapy. In short, there’s more than one pharmacy in America that is focused on accurate dispensing and making difficult calls to prescribers.

At APhA, we are here to work for you by doing the following:

• Developing business models for patient care that promote collaboration between payers who have an interest in improving care and lowering all costs, not just medication costs, and the pharmacists who can help achieve those goals
• Supporting community pharmacy residency sites that often serve as incubators for innovative practices
• Publishing the research and stories of innovative practitioners so others can learn and adopt new strategies for improved safety and outcomes
• Promoting the essential role of the pharmacist to the public, so that the cognitive and special services you provide are fully known to the patients who walk into your pharmacy
• Advocating for the pharmacist among regulatory and legislative bodies to make sure your work is recognized in health care bills and with regulatory bodies including CMS and FDA
• Providing you with continuing education opportunities, so that you may continue to provide new and innovative services to your patients as our industry changes
• Working with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board to make sure that U.S. pharmacy technicians are highly trained and qualified

The conversation about how to decrease medication errors is an important one that must continue. Automation technology is an important tool that can increase accuracy and keep patients safer. However, it’s just an adjunct, not a substitute, for the judgment, training, and care of patients’ most accessible health care provider: their pharmacist.

Events for APhA staff include:

• A blood drive
• The Health Fair for staff and the neighboring U.S. State Department
• Celebratory lunch
• A fun walk around the National Mall
• Introductory Zumba sessions

I would like to thank each of you for all you do to improve medication use and advance patient care. The important message of “Know Your Medicine—Know Your Pharmacist” is being seen in hundreds of activities during October, and the message is really reaching the public. APhA also thanks McNeil Consumer Healthcare, national founding sponsor of APhM, for their continued support of the pharmacy profession.

As always, make sure to send all your celebration photos and videos to aphm@aphanet.org or APhA’s Facebook Page.

To reach out to our local community, APhA is again organizing a health fair for our staff and neighbors, the U.S. Department of State. Staffed by APhA pharmacists and student pharmacists from schools in the Washington, DC, area, the fair offers attendees a chance to learn the importance of knowing their pharmacist and what kinds of services their pharmacist can provide. Through interactive exhibits and presentations, the attendees will have the opportunity to learn about:

• Proper medication use/adherence
• Blood pressure screenings and a healthy heart
• Ways your pharmacist can help you lead a healthy lifestyle
• Medication disposal and storage
• Up-to-date information about immunizations/flu season
• Screenings and consultations available at a typical pharmacy
• Importance of carrying a personal medication record

As if one health fair wasn’t enough, our dedicated students are so involved and interested in advocating for their profession that we have expanded the health fair to a second location! In conjunction with the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, APhA and the student pharmacists will be hosting another APhM health fair in Arlington County at the end of October.

As always, I will be conducting personal pharmacy visits in the Washington, DC area to meet and get to know a few local pharmacists. This year, I will be visiting a CVS in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, and the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

If your events aren’t finalized yet, you can still visit www.pharmacist.com/aphm and the APhM Planning Guide for a little inspiration. Make sure to send all your celebration photos and videos to aphm@aphanet.org or APhA’s Facebook Page.