What if Pharmacy Day at the Capitol was Every Day?

by Eric Szydlowski, Pharm.D., MPA/PSI executive fellow

In case you haven’t noticed, there is an event that’s been going on for the past 15 years. It’s called Pharmacy Day at the Capitol, or PDAC for short. For those who have attended, THANK YOU! It is your contribution of time and advocacy that makes this event so successful. Others in the pharmacy profession benefit from your hard work. If you haven’t attended or heard about it, PDAC is a single-day event where pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy professionals from all over Michigan join together at the State Capitol to advocate on behalf of the profession of pharmacy and their patients. This year it was held on Sept. 22 and was our biggest turnout yet, with almost 400 student pharmacists and pharmacy professionals registered as volunteers.

The activities at the event include pharmacy services in a tent on the State Capitol lawn, where pharmacists and student pharmacists provided immunizations and health screenings to legislators and their staff. Pharmacy technicians also discussed the important roles they serve in to support pharmacists as well as the recent technician licensure and certification requirements.

Additionally, each year we hold a community drug take-back event, the Medication Disposal Event @ the Captiol. In the medication take-back tent, volunteers, in conjunction with the Michigan State Police and the City of Wyoming, collected and properly disposed of 581 pounds of unused, unwanted and expired medications from the public. Over the past six years, the event has brought in 1.6 tons of medications, removing them from households where they could potentially be diverted, therefore keeping our communities and environment safe.

Students also participated in a legislative debate workshop in which teams of students read, evaluated and debated current bills relative to pharmacy practice. Volunteer participants, including Deans of pharmacy from Ferris State University, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, visited legislator offices to speak to them about important pharmacy issues. Some students had the chance to view a live Michigan House of Representatives session and a press conference organized by MPA. The press conference featured Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, MPA President Jennifer Hagerman, Michigan State Police Captain Chris Stolicker, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Chief Deputy Director Jim Sygo and MPA Chief Executive Officer Larry Wagenknecht. Each year, the Association also takes a large group photo of all the volunteers on the Capitol steps!

If you are a new student pharmacist who is just beginning pharmacy school or you are new to advocating for the profession of pharmacy, PDAC is a really great opportunity to join your colleagues and peers who have already developed advocacy as a good habit. You can see firsthand the legislative process and how pharmacists can positively contribute to it. You can also establish a working relationship with your elected officials or strengthen existing ones.  As citizens of America and Michigan, we all have the right to bring our concerns and suggestions to our elected representatives, but as pharmacists (or future pharmacists) we have the responsibility of ensuring the growth of our profession for the benefit of our patients.

There are many important legislative issues at hand right now. If you enjoyed your experience during PDAC or you feel you want to make a positive political impact, you still can! Recently, MPA rolled out the new Advocacy Action Center and an introductory video to help you get oriented. Please check out this new tool that includes e-mail and letter templates for you to customize. As a MPA member, you can use it to write to your elected legislators and urge them to support pharmacists as providers.

A very important bill at the federal level is House Resolution 592, which would establish provider status for pharmacists in medically underserved areas/populations (MUA/P). Michigan cities such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing and others, along with large swaths of the state are classified as MUA/Ps (click here to see a map of select shortage areas). If we can gain more support for this bill, pharmacists, one of the most trusted and accessible health care professionals, could better serve patients in these areas and improve the health of our communities.

As of now, only four of the 14 U.S. Representatives from Michigan have signed on to support the bill (Reps. Candice Miller, Mike Bishop, Tim Walberg and Dan Kildee). As Michigan pharmacists, I know we can do better! The Advocacy Action Center is a great place to start, where MPA members can make a difference. The Association has challenged its members to send 500 letters to Congress in support of provider status. Thus far, we have approximately 100 sent. Will you join the effort and help us make a difference?

If you have any questions about pharmacy issues, please contact MPA Manager of Advocacy, Governmental and Regulatory Affairs Amanda Lick at (517) 377-0254 or Amanda@MichiganPharmacists.org.