MEMORANDUM
To:Delegates & Alternate Delegates to the APhA House of Delegates
From:William Riffee, Speaker of the APhA House of Delegates
Date:May 28, 2014
Subject:First Report to the APhA House of Delegates
Those of you who participated in the 2014 APhA House of Delegates in Orlando on March 28-31, thank you for helping make it a success! Your commitment and willingness to volunteer to serve as a delegate/alternate delegate to the House is a testament to ensure that your voices are heard.
Before moving on with the policy business of the House, let me introduce your new Speaker-elect of the House of Delegates, Theresa Tolle of Grant, Florida. Theresa will spend the next year working alongside me to learn the ins and outs of the Speaker’s role, and will officially take over the reins at the conclusion of the 2015 House and will servethrough the 2017 House.
The discussions generated at the House of Delegates have often gone on to shape APhA policies and positions. This memo presents a recap of the actions of the 2014 House of Delegates and provides an update of activities currently underway in preparation for the 2014-2015 policy development process.
Recap from the 2014 House of Delegates
The 2014 House of Delegates adopted a number of forward-thinking and important policy statements related to care transitions, audits of health care practices, the use of social media, controlled substances and the use of opioid reversal agents, and the use and sale of electronic cigarettes. In addition, the House referred one new business item to the Board of Trustees for consideration, and amended, archived, and rescinded a number of existing policy statements in its annual review of current policy. The Board placed the referred new business item related to “Professional use of the terms “specialty” and “specialist”” on the agenda of the Joint APhA-APPM/APRS/ASP Policy Standing Committee for review and potential assignment as a 2014-15 Policy Topic assigned to the Policy Committee. Thank you for your spirited debate and lively participation in the House sessions, caucuses, and open hearings! For specific information regarding the actions of the House, please see the 2014 House Actions Report.
The 2014-2015 House Rules Review Committee has already completed one conference call to evaluate the proceedings in Orlando, discuss feedback from delegates, and offer suggestions for improving the processes and procedures of future House sessions. A full report from the 2014-2015 House Rules Review Committee will be available in 2015.
Update from the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) House of Delegates
The 2014 APhA-ASP House of Delegates adopted resolutions in the following areas: pharmacogenomics, pharmacists’ authority to dispense and administer medications in life-threatening situations, and supporting the expansion of pharmacist-led clinics in collaboration with other members of the health care team. In addition, the APhA-ASP House of Delegates has asked that the APhA-ASP Policy Standing Committee assist APhA in addressing the issue of prescription drug monitoring programs, and to find ways to further expand the interoperability and utilization of these programs nationwide. While APhA-ASP adopted resolutions are not official policy of APhA, they do provide a sense of what topics are most important to student pharmacists and guide the work of the Academy.
The APhA-ASP House elected the 2014-2015 National Executive Committee as well. Congratulations to the following student pharmacists: Nicholas Capote (The University of Tennessee Health Science Center), President; Lucianne West (Northeastern University), President-elect; Brian Donahue (Mercer University) and Maggie Oser (The Ohio State University), Members-at-large; Loren Kirk (East Tennessee State University), Speaker of the APhA-ASP House of Delegates.
Policy Implementation Progress and Proposed Policy Topics for 2014
In April, the Joint APhA-APPM/APRS/ASP Policy Standing Committee met to review the 2014 APhA House actions and made recommendations for the implementation of adopted policies that will be presented to the APhA Board of Trustees during its June 2014 meeting. This group also evaluated the 23 proposed policy topics suggested by delegates and members and made recommendations regarding the topics most important for deliberation by the 2015 House of Delegates. The Board of Trustees will meet in late June to review the committee’s recommendations and assign policy topics for statement development that will be considered by the 2014-2015 Policy Committee and the 2015 House.
NEW: Year-Long Delegate Program
In an effort to create continuity and boost engagement in the policy process, APhA is pleased to launch its year-long delegate program. Delegates will be appointed for a one-year term (June 1 – May 31) and will have numerous opportunities to get involved in activities throughout the year. State pharmacy associations will be notified of their delegate apportionment for the 2015 House in the coming weeks and will have until July 31 to submit delegate names to APhA.
Call for Committee Volunteers
Help chart the course for your profession! In preparation for the 2015 House sessions, APhA seeks members to be considered for appointments to the House of Delegates committees. These committees develop and refine APhA policy on a wide range of subjects and serve to support the various actions of the House of Delegates. Committee members will participate in conference calls and/or meetings leading up to and during the 2015 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
For specific information regarding the various House of Delegates committees, please see the following: If you are interested in serving on one of the House committees, please submit an applicationby 5pm (eastern) on July 25, 2014. The pool of interested candidates will be reviewed by me for potential committee appointment.
Save the Date!
APhA2015 will be here before we know it! APhA will return to the west coast for its 163rd Annual Meeting & Exposition, March 27-30, 2015, in San Diego, California.
Over the course of the next year, periodic reports will be posted on the House of Delegates web page to update you on the implementation of adopted policies and highlight associated activities. If you have any suggestions for or questions regarding the House of the policy development process, please feel free to contact me or APhA staff directly at . Thanks again for your participation and interest in the House of Delegates, and I look forward to working with you over the next year!
Sincerely,
Bill
Staff Liaisons:
Mitch Rothholz, RPh, MBA, Chief Strategy Officer
Ryan Burke, PharmD, Executive Resident
Wendy Gaitwood, Senior Administrative Manager, Policy & Governance
Online: Email:
CC: Theresa Tolle, APhA Speaker-elect