Exploring our Capitol

Hello and welcome!  My name is Chad Peterson and this is my first foray into the blogging world.  I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with MPhA and have already seen some interesting stuff in the few short days I’ve had with the organization.  First, a little bit about me…

I am in my fourth year of pharmacy school at the University of Minnesota and will be graduating in about 5 weeks!  After I cease being Mr. Peterson and become Dr. Peterson I will be starting a career in hospital pharmacy at Abbott Northwestern as a pharmacy practice resident.   I also received a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Bethel University in 2007.  I enjoy skiing, golfing, reading fiction and listening to music.

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of heading on over to St Paul and meeting with Matthew Lemke, MPhA’s lobbyist.  Matt is an incredible asset to the profession of pharmacy and is our major link to Minnesota policy makers.  After giving us a tour of the marble decked halls of the Capitol and providing us with a crash course refresher in legislative policy making (School House Rock anyone?), we were all set to sit in on some Senate sessions and get our feet wet trying to understand the future of our state.   

“The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.”  This is a quote from Matt and is the quote of the week as far as I’m concerned. The major piece of legislation that we sat in on was the Health and Human Services bill.  After listening to hours of DFL sponsored amendments get shot down by a GOP controlled Senate, it became clear that this bill would be passed regardless of the high likelihood of Governor Dayton exercising his veto power.  I also observed that somewhere amidst the passionate arguing on both sides of the aisle, Senate floor campaign speeches and formal procedure there is a body made up of individuals who care deeply for the future of our state, and that is encouraging.  However, it became incredibly clear to me that some form of compromise will have to occur before anything will get passed by the legislature and signed into law by our Governor.  When and how that will happen is a great question.

While issues relating to pharmacy practice are not at the forefront of any legislative arguments, they are not absent either.  On the pro side, MTM seems to have made an appearance in the current drafts.  On the con side, MERC funding is at risk of being cut by both the legislature and the Governor.  This will leave many educational opportunities for pharmacy practice residents (not to mention other health care professions) struggling to remain economically stable.  

All rhetoric and politics aside, I will leave my first week at MPhA knowing that the interests of the profession of pharmacy are in good hands at the Capitol. 

Chad