On The Move
Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy Student Pharmacists Meet with Legislators on Capitol Hill
Aug 22, 2012
CLINTON, SC - August 21, 2012 - Three officers of the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy’s (PCSP) American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) chapter attended the APhA-ASP Summer Leadership Institute in Washington, DC.
Chapter president Jay Patel, a third-year pharmacy student; and president-elect Shuler Spigener, a second-year student; and third-year student Emily Acker Yoho, student policy action network (SPAN) liaison, attended the three-day leadership institute.
Pictured: Shuler Spigener, Congressman Jeff Duncan and Jay Patel.
As part of the program, students went to Capitol Hill to meet legislators and to speak with them about issues important to pharmacists. The PCSP contingent met with U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan and an aide from U.S. Senator Jim DeMint’s office.
“Pharmacists are the most underutilized health care providers in the health care system,” said Patel. “The meetings served as an opportunity for us to educate legislators on issues important in our role as pharmacists.”
Some of the issues discussed with DeMint and Duncan include the Affordable Care Act, improving quality care while keeping healthcare costs down, medication therapy management, the pharmacist’s role in healthcare reform, and PCSP’s involvement in the community.
Seventy-eight students participated in the Hill visits, according to Michael Spira, APhA senior lobbyist. Those student pharmacists met with a total of 130 legislators from both chambers, both parties, and states across the country.
About Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College is a national, church-related liberal arts institution in Clinton, S.C., that offers a whole-person education to inquisitive students interested in lives that balance challenging academics, life-long friendships, and meaningful service. Small class sizes allow students to develop close relationships with faculty and peers. Honor and ethics are an integral part of the College culture, guiding students to become values-based leaders in their lives and careers.
The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy opened in 2010 and is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community.
For more information about Presbyterian College, go to www.presby.edu.
