Texas Pharmacy Today - Texas Pharmacy Association

Advocacy
Texas State Board of Pharmacy Meeting Set for August 4
The next meeting of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2015. The complete meeting agenda and supporting materials are available on the TSBP website. Click here to open the agenda and, if you wish to get more information regarding an agenda item, click on the yellow highlighted tab to open the supporting materials for that item.

This meeting likely will be lengthy since it will address many critical issues for pharmacy. To highlight the issues, a few items are listed below.

Of special importance, Agenda Item C.2 shows ten proposed rules that will be considered to be published for public comment, in the Texas Register, including:

These are significant issues. Most are the result of recent legislative action. You may want to review and provide input to the Board and TPA once the rules are formally published. TPA will inform you when that happens – probably in late August.

Finally, there will be discussion and possible action concerning Reports of Committees/Task Forces under Agenda Item D.1, including

Following the TSBP meeting next week, TPA staff will update you on the discussions, action taken, analysis of each approved proposed rule to be posted for formal comments and the next steps for pharmacy.

by Anne Grady

Frequent TPA speaker Anne Grady (pictured below right) spent four days in Chicago over the 4th of July weekend for the Fare Thee Well Grateful Dead shows, the last 3 shows the Dead will ever play.

It was incredible. Seventy-five thousand people at Soldier Field, and another twenty-five thousand around the field who couldn’t get tickets but came for the community and the experience. (The show broke the Ticketmaster internet sales record. All three Chicago shows sold out in minutes, and according to Marketwatch, they grossed 55 million dollars in one

weekend). The shows were mind blowing, and it was the best people-watching experience you could imagine! I couldn’t help but be impressed by the legacy of the Grateful Dead, and I learned some great leadership lessons along the way.

"Great leaders know that the best ideas can come from the most unexpected places.”

So what can you learn about leadership from one of the most influential bands in history? Here is what I was able to learn from speaking with so many of the great people I met over the weekend.

1) Don’t lose site of the goal
The goal of the Grateful Dead was to provide a high quality experience with high quality music. They wanted to play great music for people who were really into music. There were choices they could have made along the way that, while more profitable, would have meant abandoning their true goal. Great leaders are clear on what they want to accomplish, and they make deliberate choices based on that vision. All the other stereotypes you typically read/hear about are just that, stereotypes. The band was always about making great music for those that were willing to go on the journey with them.

2) Leadership is Subtle
The Dead built an entire community and cultural phenomenon slowly, over time. They didn’t wake up one day and have millions of people enamored with them, but it happened nonetheless. They were never in your face. They did what they loved, and their passion spilled over to others. Great leaders don’t announce, "I’m here! Follow me!” They build a loyal following over time. They stay true to their vision, and adapt or adjust when necessary.

3) Lead Like Nobody’s Watching
Each time the Dead played, there were tens of thousands of people dancing. No one cared if it was good dancing! It’s about self-expression and having an experience. Some have even compared it to being at church and having a spiritual experience. Had I not experienced it myself, I wouldn’t believe it. There were concert goers spanning generations, and everyone felt free to be themselves. Leadership requires courage, and also letting go of some fear. Sure, it’s easy to play it safe, but great leaders are bold and brave. They dismiss the naysayers and focus on the strengths of their followers.

4) Be Inclusive
I would have thought that all Dead concert goers were hippies; until I went to the shows. I’ve been blown away to find doctors, lawyers, celebrities, and yes, hippies. You didn’t know if the person sitting next to you was a millionaire or a pauper and it just didn’t matter. I met some incredibly intelligent and really cool people. If you believed in their music, you were welcomed with open arms. Great leaders know that the best ideas can come from the most unexpected places. They are humble and treat others with respect.

5) Leadership is about the Followers
The Dead wouldn’t have grown to experience the success they had without followers. They stayed true to their desire for great music with an audience that was willing to take a journey with them to find it. When Jerry Garcia was asked if he still got nervous in front of audiences, he said "Of course I do. You can’t count on an audience loving you. It’s a bad idea to take a crowd of 30,000-40,000 people for granted”. The interviewer followed up with "It just seems like they're ready, they’ve accepted you”. Garcia’s quick response? "I think that’s a convenient illusion”. Ha! Great leaders don’t make it about themselves, and they don’t take their followers for granted. They treat their followers as equals. While there will no longer be Grateful Dead shows, their legacy of building an entire culture will remain forever. They became what they were because they led like nobody was watching. They were true to themselves, their music, and most of all, their fans.

Connecticut pharmacists will soon be able to prescribe Narcan, a drug that can save the life of someone who’s overdosed on heroin or prescription opioids.

Under a law signed this month, pharmacists in the state have been given the ability to prescribe Narcan once they complete a new training program.

The Connecticut Pharmacists Association is helping to develop the training program for pharmacists. Marghie Giuliano, the executive vice president of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, says the program would teach pharmacists how to figure out which customers may be at risk for opioid overdose.

“Most importantly, how to educate the patients on properly using and administering Narcan in case of an overdose. What expectations they might see after they administer, etc.,” she said.

Pharmacists would also be able to give out Narcan to people who are in contact with those at risk of overdose, like parents with kids who might be abusing drugs, and the caregivers of elderly patients who are prescribed opioids. Guiliano says the training program would also help pharmacists refer customers to substance abuse counseling.

She expects the Department of Consumer Protection to approve the pharmacist training program as soon as this month.

Nominate a 2015 PTCB CPhT of the Year!PTCB is now accepting nominations for the 2015 PTCB CPhT of the Year. Nominations are due by August 7, 2015.

The PTCB CPhT of the Year Program aims to honor the achievements and recognize the contributions of outstanding CPhTs. Active CPhTs who have been PTCB Certified for at least 2 years are eligible to be nominated. Finalists will be selected by PTCB and featured in an online ballot, and the honoree will be chosen through open online voting. The 2015 honoree will receive:

If you would like to nominate a qualified CPhT, please review the Official Description and Official Rules, and then submit your nomination online. When nominating a CPhT, you will be asked to provide information and answer a brief series of questions to describe the accomplishments and workplace contributions of the nominee in patient safety, innovation, and leadership.

Who may submit nominations? Anyone may nominate a CPhT, including a colleague, supervisor, teacher, or other person. (However, self-nominations will not be accepted.) The name and contact information of a reference must be provided with the nomination; the reference must be either a current or former supervisor, instructor, trainer, or professor. The person submitting the nomination may serve as both the nominator and the reference, if requirements for being a reference are met.

To keep up on the CPhT of the Year selection process, please Like PTCB on Facebook, join the PTCB Group on LinkedIn, and follow PTCB on Twitter! Watch for updates at www.ptcb.org.

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