Capitol Hill Health Fair promotes pharmacists as providers

Diana Yap















































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In the brightly lit foyer at the center of the maze-like Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, pharmacists and student pharmacists provided free health care screenings and influenza vaccinations as well as education on the provider status legislation to the public, including Members of Congress and their staff, on a bustling Wednesday during American Pharmacists Month.

Hosted by APhA on October 11, the fifth annual Capitol Hill Health Fair was a showcase for the profession. At the various health care stations arranged in the foyer, Walgreens pharmacists administered influenza vaccinations while student pharmacists provided screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose, and body composition. The student pharmacists hailed from nearby colleges, including Howard University College of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, and University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. More than 100 people registered for pharmacist services during the fair.





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Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) talks to pharmacists and student pharmacists at the Capitol Hill Health Fair.





The services are “great,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), BSPharm. “Well-care is so important.” A little later, Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) stopped by, chatting with student pharmacists at a table.

Serving a dual purpose, the annual health fair provides pharmacist services and “enhances awareness and recognition of the role of pharmacists in patient care and public health in the present and ongoing effort to pursue provider status being led by APhA,” said Maryland Pharmacists Association Past President Hoai-An Truong, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, FNAP, associate professor of pharmacy practice and administration at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

At press time, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592/S. 109) had accumulated 230 cosponsors in the House and 47 cosponsors in the Senate. The Senate bill, S. 109, was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on January 12, 2017, while the House bill, H.R. 592, was introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) on January 20, 2017.





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Walgreens pharmacists, tasked with administering influenza immunizations, celebrate American Pharmacists Month.








Showcasing pharmacists


Walgreens administered more than 100 influenza vaccinations. Among those receiving their influenza vaccination from a Walgreens pharmacist was APhA Executive Vice President and CEO Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be on Capitol Hill,” said Walgreens Healthcare Supervisor Denise Felluca, PharmD. “We are here to share the critical role pharmacists play in administering immunizations and advocating.”

Providing a cholesterol and blood glucose screening, Divya Vepuri, a second-year PharmD candidate at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, swabbed a patient’s finger with alcohol. The patient was David Winfrey, a legislative correspondent on staff in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Vepuri moved the new tester’s lancing device to prick Winfrey’s finger for a blood sample. She obtained the sample using a capillary tube. “You’re not scared of blood, are you?” Vepuri asked pleasantly.

“No, not really,” Winfrey said. He added, “I didn’t know they [pharmacists and student pharmacists] knew how to do all these tests. It’s cool.”




Bolstering public awareness


On the far left of the foyer, people stood on devices that looked like a futuristic scale but also contained a body composition monitor. Each device measured body fat, visceral fat, body age, body mass index, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, and body weight.

John Lee, third-year PharmD candidate at the University of Maryland and its APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter president, said the event was great because it “put our skills on full display so that people are aware of pharmacists’ training and abilities.”

Participating in his first Capitol Hill Health Fair, Patrick Fotso, second-year PharmD candidate at Howard University, advocated for the provider status legislation while providing a blood pressure screening for Justin Maturo, a senior legislative assistant on staff in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joking about his high-energy ebullience, Maturo said, “My wife and my colleagues have asked me not to drink coffee.” He eyed his blood pressure reading and said, “I don’t like this number.”

But Fotso said, “You’re in a good range. Keep on doing what you’re doing.”

Asked if he knew pharmacists could do all this, Maturo said, “I did not. I thought they just gave drugs over the counter.”

Fotso handed Maturo materials from APhA on H.R. 592.


Diana Yap, editorial director

© 2017 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.