The ABHP: It’s a Journey, Not a Destination

February 11, 2010

It’s Black History Month, but the Association of Black Health Systems Pharmacists (ABHP) isn’t doing anything specific to celebrate.

Why?

“It’s a year long effort, not just a monthly one,” said Earnest Alexander, Pharm.D., FCCM and ABHP President.

The ABHP is a relatively small association with big goals toward changing minority healthcare disparity and healthcare coverage.

“That’s a good idea! I guess we really should do something to honor the month,” Alexander said. “But, no, nothing specifically. Our goals are always to promote the profession, good patient care, and encourage minorities in the profession. But it’s a year round effort, not specific to Black History Month.”

It has been almost 175 years since the first African American physician and pharmacist, James McCune Smith, began his practice in New York City in 1837, and 104 years since the first African American female pharmacist, Harriett B. Marble, began her pharmacy in Yazoo City, Missouri. The ABHP has continued this legacy by promoting the practice of minority pharmacists in the health systems.

The ABHP was formed in 1978 in San Antonio, Texas as an offshoot of the current American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). The association was originally formed to address the special needs and common interests among Black pharmacists, most of whom attended the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meetings. Fittingly the founders named themselves “The Black Pharmacists of ASHP”.  In December of 1979, the name of the orginazation was changed to Association of Black Hospital Pharmacists.

Since then the association has exponentially grown and meets twice a year at both the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and the ABHP Minority Health Conference and Annual Meeting, which will be held May 21-23 in Houston, Texas (See Page 5 for details).

The ABHP has also changed its focus from simply Black Hospital Pharmacists to minority health care issues altogether. In 2007, the ABHP changed its mission statement to include encouraging its members to promote the proper used of medication in black and other minority communities, along with “to foster collaboration, leadership, education, advocacy, and research that protect and improve the health status and quality of life of minority patients and to advance the practice of minority pharmacists in the health systems.”

“Our association was initially developed by black pharmacists,” Alexander said. “But the main goal has always been to address minority communities and the typically underserved. Since we started, many of our members are not black. Our membership includes anyone from Latinos to Asians. Really anyone who is interested in minority issues.”

The association has been forward thinking with its goals to educate health care professionals, policy makers, lawmakers and the public about minority health care disparity, along with encouraging research in the field and health care reform.

“We are all different,” Alexander said. “It’s the same as the difference between males and females. There is consistent research on the differences in health care effects between males and females, but not on the differences between racial, cultural and different socioeconomic groups. My goal is to make more headway on research on miniority related health issues.”

“It’s known that ACE inhibitors influence minority groups differently,” Alexander added. “But there are a ton of disconnects within medicine. Research on minority health care needs to be integrated with all medical information. It really takes a dedicated pharmacist that understands these issues to form a good drug therapy for them. It’s my hope that such a pharmacist would be able to follow them through all the different steps of their healthcare.”

“It boggles my mind when I hear the research presented at our conferences,” Alexander added. “It’s amazing how many areas of drug therapy there are clear differences in the way certain people are being managed and how their outcomes are impacted by the management of their healthcare. My hope is that with our research we can change the disparity in minority health care. There’s not a quick solution and there are several steps involved, but it’s necessary.”

When asked how pharmacy has changed for minorities over the past 10 years and how he would like it to change over the next 10 years, Earnest Alexander’s answer is honest and driven.

“It’s a journey not a destination,” Alexander said. “There’s so much work to do that it might be unrealistic to think we will have it all accomplished. It’s an ongoing struggle. In order for us to go forward we must continue to make steps, but it may not be 10 years, but we hope to accomplish as much as we can in the next 10 years.”

(published in Pharmacy Week magazine, February 2010 . . . click here)