|
The Association of Black
Health-System Pharmacists (ABHP) was founded in December 1978 in San
Antonio, Texas as an outgrowth of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP).
The original small group meetings were replete with discussions of the special
needs and issues of common interest among Black pharmacists, most of who
regularly attended the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meetings (MCM). These discussions
led to the formation of a caucus that these pioneers named "The Black
Pharmacists of ASHP" and the establishment of its Goal and Objectives. The
Official Goals and Objectives of ABHP included:
Goal:
To facilitate
communication between, provide a forum for, and to pool the resources of Black
Hospital Pharmacists with the ASHP and throughout the country. Accomplishment
of this goal will enhance the effectiveness of Black Hospital Pharmacists within
the ASHP and the country as a whole.
Objectives
-
To identify and
address the particular problems of Black Hospital Pharmacists.
-
To serve as an
information source for the problems identified in Objective #1.
-
To identify potential
funding sources for Black pharmacy students and provide this information to
such students.
-
To serve as an
information source for advanced positions, (faculty appointments, residencies,
organizational leadership, etc...) in pharmacy and encourage Black pharmacists
to seek such positions.
-
To meet on an annual
basis to assure accomplishment of these objectives.
-
Annual Business Meeting
and Luncheon
Las Vegas was the site
of the 14th Annual ASHP MidYear Clinical Meeting in December 1979.
The "Black Pharmacists of ASHP" then began a tradition of an annual business
meeting and luncheon. The business meetings served as a forum for development of
methods and strategies to achieve its goals and objectives, while the luncheon
became a forum for addressing a variety of health-related issues peculiar to
black hospital pharmacists.
At its second annual business meeting in
1979, two important events took place. The Caucus made decisions to (1) broaden
and better refine its objectives to more clearly reflect the intent of its goal,
and (2) to form itself into an independent national health care organization,
especially since there were no provisions within the organizational structure of
ASHP to accommodate such an organization. The new name of the organization
would be "The Association Of Black Hospital Pharmacists", and its new Objectives
were:
-
To promote the
professional development and enhance the effectiveness of Black hospital
pharmacists;
-
To support the
educational development and enhance the opportunities of Black pharmacy
students;
-
To address the
research, treatment, and prevention of diseases and health problems of
particular interest to Black practitioners; and
·
To identify
and resolve the medical and health concerns of primarily Black populations and
communities.
Over the next several years, ABHP
attracted a number of nationally renowned authorities who participated in the
annual Luncheon and addressed a variety of subjects, including organizational
involvement, professional roles and development, business, health care
awareness, governmental issues, educational issues, national and international
networking, and many others.
At its 8th Annual Business
Meeting held on December 10, 1985 in New Orleans, the Association created the
following:
·
Formation of a National
Membership Committee.
·
Formation of an Educational
Affairs Committee.
·
Creation of a National Fund
Raising Project.
·
Plans for a Caribbean Cancer
Symposium.
·
National Survey of Black
Pharmacists
Also in 1985, the
Association started the tradition of hosting an Annual Hospitality Reception.
At the 1996 Business Meeting, several
significant decisions were made. While keeping pace with the ASHP name change,
1) the Association became the "The Association of Black Health-System
Pharmacists." 2) a proposal for establishing regional chapters of ABHP
was approved; 3) proposal to make pharmacy technicians Associate Members was
approved; 4) plans for an Internet web site were approved; and 5) the objectives
were further refined to include:
-
Promote
pharmaceutical care in society;
-
Advocate the
pharmacist’s value in assuring that appropriate clinical services and drug use
control processes are applied to benefit patients;
-
Provide a forum for
meaningful dialogue and idea sharing among members;
-
Promote and
facilitate improving information exchange between the members, health care
professionals, organizations, and the public;
-
Develop and conduct
education programs for maintaining and improving competence of pharmacists;
-
Promote research
activities by its members;
-
Recognize
professional achievements and contributions of members;
-
Represent the
membership to other professional, regulatory and legislative bodies, and
health care groups.
In 1997, the Executive
approves Pharmacy Technicians as Associate Members.
The Association continues to hold its annual
Business Meetings and Luncheon at the ASHP Midyear Meeting and it continues to
serve as a forum where member participation is welcome.
ABHP Newsletter
ABHP published its first
NEWSLETTER in August of 1983. The publication was to be a quarterly to be sent
to all "members" on ABHP rosters. The NEWSLETTER provided information about the
organization's activities to those pharmacists and students who expressed an
interest in ABHP but whom were unable to attend the ASHP-MCM. It also
served as a means of announcing the availability of practice positions, and
recognition for the pharmaceutical companies who supported ABHP's activities.
In 1985, the NEWSLETTER
won the International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC)
"Bronze Quill Award" of merit in the Newsletters for non-profit organizations
category. The late Mr. Derek F. Thomas of Indianapolis, Indiana was the editor.
ABHP Awards Program
The Association began
its award program by recognizing students and practitioners for meritorious
services to the profession and the community. ABHP established the Student
Achievement Award and the Practitioner of the Year Award 1983 and presented them
to the first recipients on December 7, 1983. Criteria for the student award
included: scholarship, community involvement, demonstrations of professionalism
and potential to provide quality pharmaceutical care. Criteria for the
Practitioner award included: Service to the community/profession, leadership,
advancement of minority involvement in pharmacy, and contributions to
institutional pharmacy or the literature. The awards include an inscribed
plaque and cash award.
In 1989, ABHP teamed with Pfizer-Roerig
Pharmaceuticals to recognize those pharmacists who were considered to be the
"Grass Roots" practitioners on whom the departmental operations often depended.
Quite often these individuals would not have an opportunity to attend the annual
meetings of ABHP nor the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meetings. The grass roots award
was named the "UNHERALDED PHARMACISTS AWARD" to be presented yearly at the
Annual Luncheon of ABHP. It included an inscribed plaque and a cash award.
In 1996, ABHP
Executive Committee approved the establishment of three additional awards as
means of recognizing its members. The Wendell T. Hill Award was established in
honor of the first African-American pharmacist to serve as president of the ASHP.
The award is given to recognize and honor a pharmacist with many of the
qualities exemplified by Wendell T. Hill and who, through their dedication and
commitment, has made significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy.
The Pharmaceutical Care Award was established to honor a practicing pharmacist
routinely involved in providing direct and/or indirect patient care. The
supporting criteria include patient concern, scope of practice, professional
respect, pursuit of knowledge, and leadership. The Distinguished Service Award
was established to recognize an individual, who gives significant sustained
service to ABHP and is not an elected official of the Association.
At the
December 2000 Annual Meeting, the Association presented the first Meritorious
Service Award to Allen L. Brown. The Association also approved the establishment
of a Research and Publication Achievement Award to recognize and encourage
outstanding, meritorious achievement in the areas of basic pharmaceutical
sciences, clinical pharmacy practice, and economic, social, and administrative
sciences.
Educational Programs
In 1985, while affirming
the importance of pharmacists as an integral part of the health care delivery
system and recognizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to
problem-solving and the involvement of other health care specialties, ABHP
decided to extend its forum beyond the confines of the MCM. The organization
presented its first international, multidisciplinary symposium in April of 1986,
with the assistance of Expand Associates of Silver Spring, Maryland. The
symposium entitled, "New Horizons In Cancer Chemotherapy and Treatment: A Focus
On Special Populations" was presented in Montego Bay, Jamaica. 150 health care
professionals attended it from all over the United States and the Caribbean.
At its 1991 Annual Meeting, the membership of
ABHP voted to extend its educational goals by instituting programs that would
provide more educational program that deal with health issues that uniquely
affect the Black and other minority Communities. In 1992, an Educational
Administrator was appointed by the Executive Committee to oversee these efforts,
and to work with the Educational Affairs Committee. One of the first tasks of
the administrator was to help develop educational goals on a yearly basis,
secure an American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) Provider Approval
Number, and to ensure that standards of quality for the programs are maintained.
The Educational Affairs Committee, working in
concert with the Meetings and Convention Arrangements Committee continue to
provide the Issues forum that has become a tradition at the Annual Luncheon. In
1992, however, working in concert with an accredited College of Pharmacy, the
Educational Affairs Committee presented its first pre-convention Health
Awareness program on health problems that have a disproportionate adverse effect
of the minority communities. The committee also coordinates planning for ABHP's
proposed centennial international symposium.
ABHP
held its first, of several regional continuing education programs planned
throughout the country in Washington, D.C. on July 13, 1996. The program
entitled "Diabetes: A Serious Disease" was well attended and the participants
were treated to 6 hours of CE credits. On February 1, 1997, a second diabetes
seminar entitled "Current Trends in Diabetes: Unique Opportunities for
Pharmaceutical Care" took place in Miami, Florida. The Association came back to
Washington, D.C. on September 20, 1997 to present another symposium on "Current
Trends in the Treatment and Management of Asthma."
At the 2002
ASHP MidYear Clinical Meeting in Atlanta, ABHP presents first Allen L. Brown
Memorial Cardiovascular Lecture Series. Named after one the admired charter
member, the lecture series attempts to solicit recently completed research
papers from pharmacy residents or undergraduate students focusing on healthcare
disparities affecting minorities with emphasis on cardiovascular diseases.
|
