It’s already Friday… and two weeks with MPhA have flown by!
I’ve had the opportunity to attend two Pharmacy Nights in Rochester and
Alexandria. It has been wonderful meeting pharmacists throughout the state and
everyone has enjoyed the Minnesota Department of Health Immunization
presentation. On Wednesday (Oct. 17) I attended a Minnesota Coalition for Adult
Immunization meeting. I was proud to report the strides pharmacists are making
to increase immunization awareness and education. Pharmacists now give 20% of
flu shots! Last Saturday I helped train 30 new immunizers. It is great to see
so many pharmacists interested in joining the immunizing team! I encourage all
pharmacists to keep up-to-date on current recommendations and schedules, as we
are an important source of information and champion of immunizations.
This morning Julie Johnson and I met with Bethany Snyder,
Senator Al Franken’s liaison for health issues in Minnesota, and spoke with
Hannah Katch, the senator’s health policy advisor in DC. They were interested
in learning more about MPhA and our legislative priorities. We spent a great
amount of time discussing the recent fungal meningitis outbreak and issues
surrounding compounding. I have worked hard to educate myself about this issue
over the past couple of weeks. This situation has shown me how quickly things
can come up and that it is important for the association to be as informed and
engaged as possible. The outbreak is tragic and I think everyone in the
profession extends their sympathies and is motivated to work together to do
what we can to prevent any similar events in the future. I am amazed at how
quickly the professional organizations and associations have responded and
begun working together. Some may view this as a black mark for pharmacy — but I
am confident that this will only highlight our professionalism and desire to
deliver the highest quality of patient care.
I am learning about new things every day and I cannot wait
to see what the coming weeks will bring!
Alyssa Ferrie
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