It is my fifth and final week on rotation with Minnesota Pharmacists Association. Although my rotation is complete there are several things I will carry forward. I will be attending all future Health Care Access Committee meetings throughout the remainder of the year. These are housed at the State Capitol approximately every three to four weeks. Attending these meetings has given me exposure to the deficits in health care and has helped me identify the areas in which pharmacy can contribute. MPhA has given me the opportunity to have a glimpse into the legislative process. I plan to use this glimpse to immerse myself in the discussions this legislative season. I am excited to see how the health care discussions evolve as we near the upcoming year.
My time at MPhA has inspired me to be a voice for my profession. In my future rotations I will apply the potential health care changes to that setting. I will be an advocate for the profession as I migrate from rotation to rotation. Policy involvement will be the continuity between the diverse rotations I have throughout the year. While each practice site will inevitably differ, they will collectively be affected by potential legislation in the spring.
With that being said, my rotation with MPhA is rather longitudinal and will continue throughout my career. I view my time at MPhA merely as a great introduction to a career of professional involvement. I have had a great experience with Julie Johnson, the staff at MPhA, the members, and all the groups affiliated with the organization that I was able to work with. Thanks MPhA!
-Chris
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Congressional Open Houses
I attended two different congressional open houses this week. I saw Keith Ellison in North Minneapolis on Monday and Betty McCollum in Saint Paul on Wednesday. Each open house was extremely effective at addressing the constituents and fielding their questions.
Representative Ellison hosted his congressional open house in his office building. It was informal and he spoke with all attendees. I, along with residents Andrew Bzowyckyj and Alison Knutson, had the opportunity to speak with Representative Ellison regarding health care and pharmacy. I was impressed with his willingness to listen and consider our perspective. This experienced reinforced how pivotal it is for pharmacy to share our perspective on legislation.
Representative McCollum hosted an open house at the Stepping Stone Children’s Theater in Saint Paul. This event was very structured and geared towards maintaining funding for the arts. It was a good opportunity for me to see a specific issue that I otherwise would have no exposure to.
Some issues are felt and experienced by all citizens – taxes, education, etc. Other topics are specific to a profession. It is that profession’s responsibility to educate the public on the issue and its ramifications. The profession needs to be the voice that guides change. The recent health care reform spawned several topics specific to the profession of pharmacy. These are issues that greatly affect pharmacists and interpreting the issue can only be accomplished by pharmacists. For this reason, pharmacists need to be vocal about the issues that directly affect our profession. Pharmacists have an expertise and we need to share our opinions. If we remain silent, then someone else who is not immersed in the profession will make decisions for us. Attending the congressional open houses reiterated this point.
-Chris
Representative Ellison hosted his congressional open house in his office building. It was informal and he spoke with all attendees. I, along with residents Andrew Bzowyckyj and Alison Knutson, had the opportunity to speak with Representative Ellison regarding health care and pharmacy. I was impressed with his willingness to listen and consider our perspective. This experienced reinforced how pivotal it is for pharmacy to share our perspective on legislation.
Representative McCollum hosted an open house at the Stepping Stone Children’s Theater in Saint Paul. This event was very structured and geared towards maintaining funding for the arts. It was a good opportunity for me to see a specific issue that I otherwise would have no exposure to.
Some issues are felt and experienced by all citizens – taxes, education, etc. Other topics are specific to a profession. It is that profession’s responsibility to educate the public on the issue and its ramifications. The profession needs to be the voice that guides change. The recent health care reform spawned several topics specific to the profession of pharmacy. These are issues that greatly affect pharmacists and interpreting the issue can only be accomplished by pharmacists. For this reason, pharmacists need to be vocal about the issues that directly affect our profession. Pharmacists have an expertise and we need to share our opinions. If we remain silent, then someone else who is not immersed in the profession will make decisions for us. Attending the congressional open houses reiterated this point.
-Chris
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