College of Pharmacy students Chantelle Robinson and Erin Kany selected to advocate for pharmacy legislation on Capitol Hill

UNE College of Pharmacy students Chantelle Robinson ’16, and Erin Kany ’17, have been selected from a national pool of applicants to represent the profession of pharmacy at the 2016 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 16 –17, 2016.

This event will provide Robinson and Kany the opportunity to meet with legislators to advocate for HR 592/S314, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act.  

HR 592/S314 aims to increase access to pharmacist services, thereby improving healthcare and advancing the profession of pharmacy to provider status. It currently has support from 225 sponsors in the United States House of Representatives and 34 sponsors in the Senate.

Robinson and Kany were selected from a competitive application process that offers only 50 seats nationally.  After being trained on the policy-making process, effective communication and pharmacy issues, these two students will put their education into action during their Capitol Hill meetings.  

“Advocacy for patients and the profession of pharmacy is important because it serves as the intersection of professionalism and citizenship,” says Kenneth McCall, B.S.Pharm., Pharm.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at UNE.  

“Student participation in these Capital Hill visits culminate in specific legislative ‘asks’ such as sponsorship of HR 592 and the delivery of supporting documentation; however, what students take away from these meetings could be more important than what they leave behind.  This experience enables them to expand their own personal viewpoints through interactions with legislators and legislative staff, and to better articulate the value that a pharmacist provides to the health of society.”