IPA in Action

IPA Participates in Virtual MAAC Committee Meeting In May, IPA participated in a virtual meeting of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee. As one of six voting members representing professional and business entities on the MAAC, whose purpose is to advise DHS and IME about health and medical care services under the Iowa Medicaid program. In May, the committee received updates from Director Mike Randol and the MCO’s regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the Iowa Medicaid program.

‘Zoom’ Pharmacy Forward The APhA-ASP Annual Meeting was scheduled to convene in Washington D.C. on March 20-23. Due to COVID-19, the meeting converted to a virtual arrangement to still allow for the event to occur and let attendees network with leaders from across the country, honor award recipients, and learn about the latest trends in the industry. While numerous IPA members engaged within the virtual Annual Meeting, a spotlight was on IPA member, Dean Donald Letendre from The University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. He was awarded the Outstanding Dean Award by APhA-ASP. The Outstanding Dean Award recognizes a pharmacy Dean who has made contributions to APhAASP chapters, and who has promoted student pharmacists through various activities including: community service, leadership and professional events.

The 2021 APhA Annual Meeting is scheduled to occur on March 12-15, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA.

ASHP Summer Meetings & House of Delegates Moves Virtually As with other national pharmacy conferences, the 2020 ASHP Summer Meetings were moved to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ASHP House of Delegates was still able to convene in a virtual format in order to approve key policy and position statements of the organization. Key sessions that were set to occur in June are still being offered online that are no cost to members and non-members of ASHP. For the last few years, ASHP has convened minivirtual House of Delegates sessions in the spring and fall, which served well as the primary sessions for June 2020 convened in a similar fashion. With 99% of delegates voting, the ASHP House approved eight policies and one statement, including topics on: Credentialing and Privileging by Regulators, Payers, and Providers of Collaborative Practice; Importation of Drug Products; Safe Use of Transdermal System Patches; and the ASHP Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacy.

Mark your calendars for the 2021 ASHP Summer Meetings set to occur on June 5-8, 2021 in Long Beach, CA.

Iowa Governor’s Conference on Public Health Convenes Virtually Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iowa Governor’s Conference on Public Health (ICGPH) canceled their live, in-person gathering and held the event virtually, April 14 – May 1, for the planned presentations.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Rosie Ward, gave a presentation on Rehumanizing the Workplace, and raised the issue that “7 out of 8 people in the American workforce work for an organization that doesn’t care for them.” Dehumanized work environments have many negative effects on its employees including reduced productivity, decreased mental health, increased burnout, and additional healthcare expenditures. Dr. Ward proposes a five-step process to reset and rehumanize the workplace, especially during these difficult times.

In addition to the keynote presentation, there were 29 additional breakout sessions held through virtual webinars. These presentations were given by public health students and professionals from around the state. The Iowa Public Health Association recorded each presentation and posted them on their YouTube page for future viewing.