NCPA Adopts New Resolutions, Names New Officers

PRESS RELEASE

Austin, Texas (October 22, 2014) — Community pharmacists today approved a slate of new resolutions and elected officers for the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) during the House of Delegates session held in conjunction with NCPA’s 116

^th

Annual Convention and Trade Exposition.

John T. Sherrer, RPh, was named NCPA president. He co-owns Kenmar Pharmacy and Poole’s Pharmacy in Marietta, Ga. and is a partner in several other Georgia pharmacies. Sherrer also owns First Aid of America, an industrial first aid and safety supply company. He is a graduate of the Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy.

“NCPA is fortunate to have a fine president in John Sherrer,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. “His commitment to and advocacy for independent community pharmacies and their ability to help patients is second to none. He understands the critical role local pharmacists play in America’s health care system and both the opportunities and challenges facing these trusted health care professonals.”

Pharmacists approved the following resolutions for NCPA:

• To address the problem of exclusionary arrangements between insurance middlemen and select pharmacies by continuing to support legislative and regulatory policies that would allow any willing pharmacy to participate in a Medicare drug plan, including as a “preferred” pharmacy, if the pharmacy accepts the plan’s preferred cost-sharing terms and conditions.
• To oppose any decisions by third-party payers to unilaterally deny, restrict, or limit coverage for pharmacist-prepared, customized compounded medications that are prepared pursuant to the state-regulated practice of compounding.
• To support efforts on the state and federal levels to improve consumer access to naloxone for opioid drug overdoses and advocate for the expanded role of the pharmacist in the wider distribution of naloxone under protocols approved by state pharmacy and medical boards, as part of a comprehensive campaign to address the prescription drug abuse crisis.
• To advocate for greater authority for pharmacists to adjust medication quantities or refill schedules (at the patient's direction), to facilitate medication synchronization (or “med sync”) programs such as Simplify My Meds, to improve patient adherence to their prescribed medication regimen for better health outcomes and lower costs.
• To work in conjunction with the NCPA Foundation to further support community pharmacists’ ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, by centralizing resources available; facilitating access to key decision-makers before disaster strikes; and providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to volunteer as first responders for disaster recovery and response initiatives.

“From patient choice of pharmacy to medication adherence to combating prescription drug abuse, these resolutions address some of the most pressing issues in community pharmacy today,” Hoey added. “We are grateful for the contributions and input of NCPA members leading up to and at today’s House of Delegates meeting. Member participation is vital for NCPA to continue as an active and effective representive for the community pharmacists it serves.”

Additionally, the following independent community pharmacy owners were confirmed for the following positions:

Board of Directors

• President — John Sherrer, Marietta, Ga.
• President-Elect - Bradley Arthur, Buffalo, N.Y.
• Chairman - DeAnn Mullins, Lynn Haven, Fla.
• David Smith, Indiana, Penn.
• Bill Osborn, Miami, Okla.
• Brian Caswell, Baxter Springs, Kan.
• Michele Belcher, Grants Pass, Ore.
• Hugh Chancy, Hahira, Ga.
• Immediate Past President — Mark Riley, Little Rock, Ark.

Officers

• First Vice President - Jeff Carson, San Antonio, Texas
• Second Vice President - Lea Wolsoncroft, Birmingham, Ala.
• Third Vice President - Jeff Harrell, Ilwaco, Wash.
• Fourth Vice President — Kristen Riddle, Conway, Ark.
• Fifth Vice President — Christian Tadrus, Columbia, Mo.

Christian Tadrus, RPh, was named Fifth vice president. The community pharmacist owns three Sam’s Health Mart Pharmacies in central Missouri, near Columbia. He also is the immediate past president of the Missouri Pharmacy Association. Tadrus is a leader in promoting medication adherence and other ways of expanding the clinical side of community pharmacy. He is a graduate of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

###

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) represents the interests of America's community pharmacists, including the owners of nearly 23,000 independent community pharmacies. Together they represent an $88.8 billion health care marketplace, dispense nearly 40% of all retail prescriptions, and employ more than 300,000 individuals, including over 62,000 pharmacists. To learn more go to

www.ncpanet.org

or read NCPA’s blog, The Dose, at

http://ncpanet.wordpress.com/