4/10/19
Fly In. Advocate. Fly Out.
I, along with 2 other Mercer student pharmacists, flew into DC on Tuesday evening after we finished classes for the day. We were among 44 students who attended the 51stNCPA Congressional Fly In, and what a privilege it was to be here.
We woke up bright and early Wednesday morning for a packed schedule of programming in the conference room of our hotel, just steps from NCPA headquarters. We were inspired by one of Georgia’s own representatives, and a huge supporter of pharmacy legislation, Doug Collins. We heard from NCPA President Bill Osborn and CEO Doug Hoey as well.
We were lucky to be among some of the nation’s most successful and active pharmacists, and sat in on a legislative briefing on the efforts and successes of NCPA advocacy over the past year, and priorities for the future. This helped prepare us to speak in an educated manner when we met with legislators just a few hours later.
We heard from John Coster from CMS regarding an update on the changes that Medicaid is currently undergoing, and ended the morning with an impressive speech by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. I was so encouraged to hear that Secretary Azar understands the plight that pharmacists and patients are in across the country and is making concrete steps towards finding solutions to the most pressing problems in our career. I was impressed to hear that his priorities align so well with community pharmacists, and look forward to seeing what he will accomplish.
Following the morning sessions, we took a bus up to Capitol Hill where we began our full schedule of meetings with legislators after a quick lunch.
I joined the Georgia Pharmacists Association members in the meetings they graciously scheduled and allowed us to attend as students. I personally went to a meeting with a Evelyn Knapp, a staffer from Representative Henry Johnson’s office. I also went to a meeting with Laila Goharioon, legislative assistant to Representative Lucy McBath.
We met with Representative Rob Woodall himself, who actually represents my district in Georgia (and had a Norcross High School pendant in his office!). He had a ton of questions for us and really wanted to understand the importance of our priorities as pharmacists. We even had a chance to climb out on the roof outside his office to see an amazing view of the surrounding area!
We finished the afternoon with a meeting with a staffer from Senator David Perdue’s office. I learned so much and was so impressed by the passionate pharmacy owner’s in attendance. They had so many personal stories to tell about the effects of legislation on their patients, and made a big impact on many of the people we met with.
We finished up the evening with a reception in the Rayburn House Office Building with all the pharmacists in attendance and many staff members and legislators as well. We took the few hours before bed to explore some of the sights of DC, visiting the National Mall and Lincoln Memorial beautifully lit in the night.
