WMSHP,

The Pharmacy profession has entered an exciting era between 2014 and 2015 with the introduction in Congress of pharmacists’ provider status legislation. Support for this legislation is gaining momentum both in the communities we serve and in Congress. Per Dr Paul Abramowitz, ASHP CEO, in the near future a companion bill is anticipated to be introduced in the Senate to accompany the “Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act” introduced by Congress. Please continue to reach out to your members of Congress to help achieve this important goal.

Meanwhile, WMSHP Committee members are working hard to provide continuing education credits, disease states presentations and fun activities for the membership.

The Programming Committee is proud to be collaborating with NIH to present Pharmacotherapy Frontiers on April 25, 2015. The Spring and Fall all day 6-CE Conferences are scheduled for May 30, 2015 and September 19, 2015. We are honored to welcome guest speakers who are experts in their respective fields. In October 2015 we are also collaborating with Pharmacy Learning Network (PLN) for a 7-CE Conference. In addition to all the continuing education credits, we are providing Non-CE Disease State Presentations monthly except during CE months.

The Membership Committee is busy preparing fun activities such as a Summer Picnic and a Fall trip to a Winery. They are also engaged in recruiting new members and establishing a student track. Please join this committee and help us reach out to students, residents, technicians and pharmacists. Our ASHP Delegates Monique Bonhomme and John Quinn are busy preparing to go to the Regional and Summer ASHP Delegate meetings with suggestions for new resolutions.

Please join our various Committees so that we may continue to strengthen our society, collaborate with other societies and student organizations, and reach our professional goals in healthcare. I hope to see you soon during our various events. Thank you so much for being members of our fine society.

Wafaa

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Dear WMSHP members,

This is an exciting time for our profession as we strive to obtain provider status. By so doing, we are able to be more involved in patient care. ASHP CEO Dr Paul Abramowitz stated, “There is a significant body of evidence showing that pharmacists contribute to improved health outcomes, enhanced patient satisfaction, and lower health care costs when they are part of the health care team”. I hope that the Washington Metropolitan Society of Health System Pharmacists takes a vital role in obtaining our professional goals. Our strong legislative committee is committed to maintaining an active role in legislation leading to provider status.

As the 2015 president of WMSHP, I hope to enhance committee involvement. In so doing I will need the help of our membership to take an active role in various committees --- legislative, finance, nominations, programming, membership and publications/websites maintenance. I especially encourage an increased student involvement in co-chairing the latter 2 committees. It is with great excitement and expectations that our Board of Directors launch a new year filled with interesting educational opportunities, fun social events and changes in legislation that will lead to provider status. Our fine Society will propel us to reaching our goals.

The Programming Committee has worked hard to recruit speakers who are experts in their fields. Our May 30, 2015 and September 19, 2015 all-day CE Conferences have already been planned. I am proud to say that on April 25, 2015 we shall work in collaboration with NIH which will provide our members with 4 continuing education (CE) credits. In October we are also collaborating with Pharmacy Learning Network (PLN) to provide the membership with 7 continuing education (CEs) credits. In addition to the 23 continuing education credits available for our members, 7 Non-CE Disease State presentations are also scheduled throughout the year.

Our Membership Committee will be planning fun social events such as an annual picnic, a visit to a winery and a student networking event. The members will also be busy recruiting pharmacists, residents, students and technicians. Please join the fun and help make this year of social activities an exciting one.

I am confident that WMSHP will have another exciting year filled with great CE events, fun social activities and the attainment of our goals with respect to provider status. Please join the various committees and partake in the planning and execution of our exciting events.

Sincerely,

Wafaa

Wafaa Abou-Zeineddine, PharmD

WMSHP, President

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Dear WMSHP Members,

It has been a pleasure to serve as your President this year. Our society has had a full, exciting year of continuing education events, non-CE events as well as pharmacy week celebratory events, family picnic and student networking events.  This year WMSHP's Membership Committee is proud to present a Mentoring Program for first year pharmacists, students, residents, fellows and technicians. The goal of this program is to mentor, assist, and support first year pharmacists, residents, fellows, students and technicians in pharmacy practice. Our Programming Committee has also been working hard to create more CE opportunities for the rest of 2014 and also 2015.  We even have selected and finalized the dates for 2015 all day CE meetings.  We will be hosting the all day CE programs (worth a total of 12 live CE's) at the 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy, Chase, MD on May 30, 2015 and September 19, 2015. This upcoming spring, we will again partner with DC-CCP society for a joint meeting.  Please continue to visit our website (www.wmshp.org) for a complete listing of our events.

Many new ideas, strategies and plans have been developed and instituted this year. WMSHP has completed strategic planning with ASHP for the year 2014 to 2015.  We have also developed WMSHP's yearly calendar of events and generated more additional revenue for the society as well as instituted ASHP's Qualtrics for voting.  In addition we have provided a new website link for our Technician members called "Resources for Technicians from ASHP." Technicians can utilize this web link for CE, Tech teaching tips and training information.

Please join our many committees (Programming, Legislative, Membership, Nomination, Finance or Publication Committees) if you are interested in being an active member of WMSHP.  Please bring your creative ideas and positive energy and make WMSHP a great society to belong to.  See everyone at our many events this year and wishing everyone happy holidays!

Vicki

WMSHP 2014 President

December 2014

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Dear Members,

WMSHP will be hosting our fall annual , all day CE event on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the 4H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.  This will be worth a total of 6 live CE hours!  Please join us for an exciting and educational day.  We have an excellent group of guest speakers from leading physicians to clinical  specialist pharmacists throughout the metropolitan area that will be presenting their expertise. Please visit our website (www.wmshp.org) for the program agenda as well as a complete listing of our 2014 to January 2015 CE events, non-CE events and family events.

This year our Membership Committee will also be hosting a WMSHP family picnic for the first time on Saturday, September 20, 2014.  All members and their family are invited.  The picnic will be held at the Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds, MD from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  There are great park amenities for everyone from children's playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pit, pontoon boat rides, water fountain, canoeing, boating and hiker/biker trails.  Please come join us for a barbecue lunch (from 11 am to 2 pm)  and mingle with our members. There is also a great gift prize for the member that have the most votes for the best side dish or dessert.  Please see the Membership Committee Chairs (Wafaa or Sharon) or any Membership Committee member to purchase your picnic ticket ($5) today. 

This year, WMSHP is proud to present our Mentoring Program for 1st year Pharmacists, Residents, Fellows and Students.  The goal of this program is to mentor, assist, and support first year Pharmacists, Residents, Fellows and Students in pharmacy practice.  We have a group of experienced Pharmacists who are ready to share their expertise and advice.  Please visit our website for a complete list of Mentors and their contact information.

We will be nominating and voting soon for 2015 leadership team.  Please stay tuned in the following months for further information on the new, on-line voting process Qualtrics.  The following positions are open to nominations and voting:  President-Elect, Treasurer, Board Member, ASHP Delegate and ASHP Alternative Delegate. 

Many of our Committees have met and already started committee work.  If you are interested in serving on one of our many committees (Programming, Legislative, Membership, Nomination, Finance or Publication Committees) please contact the respective Chairs.  Their contact information is also listed on our website.  We have many talented members in our society that are ideal candidates for our many committees.  Please join us with your creative ideas and positive energy  and make WMSHP a great society to belong to.  See everyone at our many events this  year!

Vicki

WMSHP 2014 President

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WMSHP Mission

Who are we?

WMSHP consists of practitioners of health system pharmacy.

We exist to:

Promote optimal patient outcomes

Help pharmacy practitioners develop professionally

Help pharmacy practitioners become a valuable part of the health care team

We will accomplish this by:

Education

Promotion of research

Advocacy for our profession

Promotion of best practices

Providing networking, access to resources, and information exchange venues

For whom:

Pharmacists

Pharmacy technicians

Pharmacy students

WMSHP members

WMSHP Vision

To be recognized as the leading organization in Washington DC promoting excellence, accountability and leadership through education, research and the practice of pharmacy to improve patient outcomes.

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AWARDS 

Pharmacist of the Year 2013:

    Leon Vandenberg

Leadership Award 2013:

    Victoria Ly

Service Awards 2013:

     Mary Binghay

     Monique Bonhomme

     Beatrix Lam

     Albert Ly

     Olubunmi Momoh

     Kampanart Panasethaned

     John Pelosi

     Doris Voight 

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President's Message

I would like to thank all of our members and new members for attending WMSHP and DC-CCP society's  May 10, 2014 all day, CE event.  We had a great turnout with excellent presentations by leading physicians and clinical pharmacists throughout the metropolitan area.  If you missed our first all day, CE event (which was worth a total of 6 CE hours!) there will be another opportunity to attend the next one.  Our next all day, CE event will be on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the 4H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.  And yes, this will be worth a total of  6 CE hours again presented by another set of excellent guest speakers!  Please visit our website (www.wmshp.org) for a complete listing of CE events, non-CE events, family events and detailed programs.  This year our Membership Committee will also be hosting a WMSHP family picnic for the first time!  All members and their family are invited.  The date of our picnic is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, 2014.  Please save the date and watch for more details in the upcoming months.

WMSHP is proud to present our Mentoring Program for 1st year Pharmacists, Residents, Fellows and Students this year.  The goal of this program is to mentor, assist, and support first year Pharmacists, Residents, Fellows and Students in pharmacy practice. We have a group of experienced Pharmacists who are ready to share their expertise and advice.  Please visit our website for a complete list of Mentors and their contact information.

WMSHP also recently hosted a networking event for pharmacy students at Holy Cross Hospital in April.  The event gave the students an opportunity to network with our members, their peers, have a question and answer session as well as meet our mentors. You will be seeing more of the students in the upcoming events.  Please welcome the pharmacy students to our society!

Our ASHP Delegates and Alternative Delegate will be representing WMSHP at the ASHP regional and summer delegate meetings soon. Please visit our website for the link to the proposed ideas, policies and agenda discussion for this year's ASHP Summer House of Delegates session and contact our Delegates for further comments, suggestions or representations. They are looking forward to your comments and suggestions. They will also take your ideas and present them as amendments at this summer's House of Delegates as well as enjoy hearing if you are in support of a policy to help them know how to vote.  

Many of our Committees have met and already started committee work.  If you are interested in serving on one of our many committees (Programming, Legislative, Membership, Nomination, Finance or Publication Committees) please contact the respective Chairs. Last year our committee members did an excellent job and we would like to continue this excellence this year. There are many talented Pharmacists in our society who are ideal candidates for our many Committees.  Please join us with your creative ideas and make WMSHP a great society to belong to.  See everyone at our many events this year!
 
Vicki
WMSHP 2014 President

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President's Message

I am honored to represent WMSHP this year and to continue our society's vision and mission for pharmacy excellence. Many of 2014's CE and non-CE events have already been planned and scheduled.  Please visit our website (www.wmshp.org) in the upcoming months for further details as we finalize additional programs.  This year we will again host a family event as well as pharmcy week celebratory events.

We have selected the dates and location for our Spring and Fall all day CE meetings.  In the Spring, we will again be co-hosting with the DC-College of Clinical Pharmacy society.  Please save the following dates: May 10, 2014 and September 13, 2014 for our all day CE meetings.  Both events will be worth a total of 12 CE hours along with text-books and prizes.  We will be hosting these events at the 4H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD.

Our Committees will be meeting very soon to start committee work.  If you are interested in joining a committee, please email the respective Chairs on our Committee Section webpage.  Last year our committee members did an excellent job and we would like to continue this excellence this year. There are many talented Pharmacists in our society who are ideal candidates for our many Committees (Legislative, Programming, Membership, Nominations, Publications and Website Maintenance.) Please join us with your creative ideas and make WMSHP a great society to belong to. We will also be introducing and implementing our Mentoring Program for first year practitioners and students this year. See everyone at our many events this year.

Vicki

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President's Message;

Summer is over and we are now getting back to normal. During the summer months we scheduled few WMSHP events; however, the Family Night Out at the Park was a success. It culminated with a 9th inning home run for the Nationals to win the game.

We are now turning our attention on the rest of the year and already are making plans for next year. Our Annual Meeting on September 28 is shaping up to be every bit as good or better than the Spring Meeting we had in May. Our programming committee has another C.E. meeting scheduled for October and we have a non C.E. event scheduled in Northern Virginia in November. Going forward it looks as if our January Kickoff Meeting will be held at Maggiano’s on January 16, 2014. We are looking forward to a new year with this meeting and will have the installation of officers at that time.

Speaking of installation of officers, we are taking nominations for the offices which will become open. The first one and maybe the most important one is President-elect. The other offices open are Treasure for a 1 year term, Secretary, Board Member, and Delegate. Our membership has grown greatly over the last 2 years and during that time we have been able to give our members at least 16 hours of C.E. at the only cost being their membership. We also have had quite a number of non C.E dinners which our members have enjoyed. WMSHP is going through an affiliation review with ASHP currently and updating a number of committees. If WMSHP is to continue, it is going to need strong leadership. Our members are enjoying the benefits; however, it is now time to ask our members to become more involved in the leadership of this organization. Over my years as a member I also sat in the audience and did little to better WMSHP. A couple of years ago, I felt this organization had no direction and was rapidly becoming a non organization. I made a decision at that time to run for a position on the board as I knew that if you wanted to see change, you had to get involved. I am asking each of you to get involved. We have a fantastic organization, one that has been here for a very long time. I want to see it continue. If you do not feel you are ready for any of the elected positions and I feel we have many members who could easily take on those responsibilities, we have committees. This year Vicki and I have revitalized some of the committees. In each case we are looking for members who are interested in serving on these committees. If you want to continue with the type of programs we have or if you want to see something different, then the program committee is for you. Our membership has grown this year because of the work our membership committee has done and they are always looking for help and ideas. Financially, we are currently sound and if we want that to continue we need those members that have an interest in finance for the finance committee. John Pelosi has done a great job over the last two years in working with our finances; however, his position is Treasure. We need a strong finance committee to work on our budget and investments. Along with this we need an Audit committee. Because of his position, our bylaws state that the treasure cannot be a part of the Audit committee. I am concerned as I do not know the last time our books were audited. This should be done on a yearly basis. Another area is legislative. We have members in 3 jurisdictions, Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Every jurisdiction has its own set of laws that may affect our members. More importantly there also are federal laws which we have to concern ourselves. ASHP helps in many of these areas; however, we also need to help ourselves. Many of you have worked in these areas. I am asking for your help as many of the laws and discussion of laws in all of our legislative districts will affect your work at some point in time. We need to know that it is a positive effect. We have a publication committee. If you like our newsletter and want to make it even better, here is your chance. Lastly, we are looking for members wanting to serve on the Nominations committee. This maybe one of the most important committees as the members nominated for office are the leaders who will determine the direction WMSHP is to go. Being a member of a committee is an easy way to have a voice in our organization. Yes, some of the positions may involve a little time; but, isn’t this organization worth it. I am asking each member to consider their talents and then look at what is possible. When I joined the board 3 years ago, little did I know I would become the president of WMSHP. I can say that the time I have spent on this board, have been some of my most rewarding years in pharmacy. I love the attendance we have been getting at our meetings, now I am asking each of you to go a little farther. I want to see 2 or 3 members nominated for each of the board positions that is open. When you renew your membership this coming year I want you to look at the committee’s and if you feel, you could be a member of one, let us know by selecting that committee. Together we can build an even better organization; however, if everyone finds it easier to sit on the sideline we will have no game to watch.

Leon

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