NCPA Elects New Officers and Board Members, Adopts Resolutions and Policy Objectives at 114th Annual Convention

PRESS RELEASE

Alexandria, Va. - Oct. 24, 2012 The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) installed new Officers and Board of Directors for 2012-2013 at its 114th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition. They are the association's governing body, which represents the voice of the members and direct the association's objectives. All are practicing pharmacists.

Donnie Calhoun, RPh, who owns two pharmacies in Anniston, AL, was named NCPA president. He is also the 2012 president of the Alabama Board of Pharmacy. Calhoun is a 1987 graduate of Samford University School of Pharmacy. He serves on the Board of Directors for NCPA and as a national director for Pharmacist's Mutual Insurance Company. In the past Calhoun has served on the board of directors of the National Home Infusion Association and Alabama Pharmacy Association, respectively, and is a past president of the Alabama Independent Drugstore Association. He has also found time to be involved with teaching pharmacy students as an adjunct professor at the Samford and Auburn universities schools of pharmacy. Calhoun has been a recipient of many awards including distinguished young pharmacist (1991) and the Alabama Pharmacy Association Pharmacist of the year award (2005).

"We congratulate Donnie Calhoun on becoming NCPA president," said NCPA CEO, B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. "Whether at the local, state or federal level, Donnie has been an effective advocate for independent community pharmacists and the patients they serve. Where there is an impediment, he tries to remove it; where there is a shortcoming, he tries to fill the void. He believes, based on considerable evidence, that independent community pharmacy can improve health outcomes and reduce costs. He will work tirelessly to help spread the word throughout both the private and public sectors."

"I am very excited and honored to become NCPA president," Calhoun said. "I have a series of goals to achieve, most prominently is expanding the recognition of pharmacists as health care providers so they have a more central role in the emerging paradigm of coordinated care. Once our expertise is fully appreciated and compensated patients, health plan sponsors and other health care providers will benefit greatly."

NCPA's House of Delegates also passed several resolutions to guide the association policy and initiatives, which cover areas such as:

In response to the rapid increase in America's obesity rates and the chronic medical conditions that often are associated with excessive weight, NCPA will encourage community pharmacists to use their professional knowledge and accessibility to partner with other stakeholders and coalitions in support of obesity education, prevention, and treatment efforts at the school, community, state and federal levels.
In response to pharmacists being the only health professionals who are not officially recognized in national health policy as health care providers or practitioners, NCPA will encourage pharmacists to expand their role in the health care system by participating in new patient-centered care models such as accountable care organizations; and seek official designation of pharmacists as "health care providers" under the federal Social Security Act and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and in commercial programs.
In response to the abuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs, NCPA will support federal and state programs that provide community pharmacists with real-time, seamless tools to help identify potential abusers of prescription and non-prescription drugs through more effective monitoring programs.
In response to the largely unregulated pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry, NCPA seeks to have model legislation enacted in all 50 states that would require transparency in all rebate contracting and administration, as well as the methodologies employed for the purposes of reimbursing providers for services including, but not limited to, caps set on generic drug reimbursement often referred to as maximum allowable costs or MACs.

In addition, the following independent community pharmacy owners were designated to the following positions:

Board of Directors

President — Donnie Calhoun, Anniston, AL
President-Elect - Mark Riley, Little Rock, AR
Chairman - Bradley Arthur, Buffalo, NY
John Sherrer, Marietta, GA
Keith Hodges, Gloucester, VA
DeAnn Mullins, Lynn Haven, FL
David Smith, Indiana, PA
Bill Osborn, Miami, OK
Immediate Past President — Lonny Wilson, Oklahoma City, OK

Officers

First Vice President - Brian Caswell, Baxter Springs, KS
Second Vice President - Michele Belcher, Grants Pass, OR
Third Vice President - Hugh Chancy, Hahira, GA
Fourth Vice President - Jeff Carson, San Antonio, TX
Fifth Vice President — Lea Wolsoncroft, Birmingham, AL

Wolsoncroft is the newest member to join this roster of pharmacy leaders for NCPA, which occurred with her induction at the House of Delegates. She opened Kids Meds Pharmacy in 2003, which specializes in prescription drugs for children.

The 115th NCPA Annual Convention and Trade Exposition is scheduled for Oct. 12-16, 2013 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, FL.