"Women in Pharmacy" Program to Educate and Guide Entrepreneurial Pharmacists

PRESS RELEASE

LAS VEGAS

,

July 22, 2015

/

PRNewswire

/ -- In support of its

Women in Pharmacy program

to help women pharmacists become successful independent pharmacy owners, Cardinal Health will host its fourth annual Pharmacy Ownership Boot Camp on

Saturday, July 25

, during the company's

Retail Business Conference

(RBC) in

Las Vegas

.

"The Boot Camp is designed to give pharmacists and student pharmacists the business acumen and confidence needed to own their own pharmacies," said

Eden Sulzer

, director of Women in Pharmacy program at Cardinal Health. "The program will serve as a crash course in ownership and a forum for sharing ideas and inspiration. Our goal is for attendees to leave feeling empowered to reach their dreams of becoming successful independent pharmacy owners, serving their communities."

The Pharmacy Ownership Boot Camp is open to all RBC attendees interested in owning a pharmacy, or looking to refresh their skills, as well as male and female pharmacy students. This year's attendees will hear from experts in pharmacy finance, marketing and entrepreneurship. The intense, daylong lesson in what it takes to own and operate a successful community pharmacy will feature:

• Paths to Pharmacy Ownership Workshop, which highlights the basics of start-ups, acquisitions and franchises
• Financial Fitness tips addressing how to build personal equity
• Driving Growth through Services -- identifying potentially untapped revenue opportunities
• Panel discussion with new and established pharmacy owners
• Guided tour of tradeshow floor, and the opportunity to network with nearly 400 manufacturer, automation, software and pharmacy business vendors
• "Mix, Mingle & Mocha" networking reception, where aspiring pharmacy owners can meet, learn from and be inspired by successful pharmacy entrepreneurs

"According to the 2014 National Pharmacist Workforce Study, women now make up 57 percent of all U.S. pharmacists, but there has been no increase in female pharmacy ownership in over a decade," Sulzer said. "We believe that key barriers include access to capital and a real or perceived lack of business or financial acumen. Our Pharmacy Ownership Boot Camp will specifically address these concerns, and offer guidance on how to successfully run an independent pharmacy."

Other Women in Pharmacy program events at RBC include a booth on the tradeshow floor and a

continuing education opportunity

addressing the unique security issues of female pharmacy owners.

The Pharmacy Ownership Boot Camp is just one part of Cardinal Health's initiative to help women pharmacists seize the opportunity of pharmacy ownership. In support of this effort, Cardinal Health has donated more than

$5 million

in

pharmacy school scholarships

to male and female students striving to eventually own their own pharmacy, as well as providing mentoring, networking, and opportunities to learn financial and business development strategies.