(Washington, DC) American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and its House of Delegates, the premier policy-making body for the pharmacy profession, considered and adopted new policies on pressing issues during APhA’s annual meeting on March 24 –27, 2023, in Phoenix.
Thirty-eight individual policy statements on the following 14 topics were debated and are now official APhA policy. These issues provide new and updated positions for APhA and its Board of Trustees as the profession of pharmacy navigates an evolving post-pandemic era.
Annually, over 350 delegates representing all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, national pharmacy organizations, Federal pharmacy, APhA member academies, and former APhA leadership meet to adopt official policy to guide APhA and its Board of Trustees.
Find all the statements here.
Newly adopted policy topics
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Employer Responsibilities Related to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care Access
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Access to Essential Medicines as a Fundamental Human Right
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Enforcing Antidiscrimination in the Dispensing of Medications
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Transgender and Nonbinary Health Care
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Legalization or Decriminalization of Illicit Drugs
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Site of Care Patient Steerage
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Development of Veterinary Pharmacy Education Opportunities in Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy and Pharmacy Technician Training
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Uncompensated Care Mandates in Pharmacy
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Pharmacist Representation on Medical Staff
The 2023 APhA House of Delegates was led by Melissa Skelton Duke, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAPhA, of Phoenix, AZ, who served as Speaker of the House and Trustee from March 2021 through March 2023. Duke completed her term as Speaker and transferred the Speaker’s gavel to Brandi Hamilton, PharmD, MS, BCPS, of Beverly Hills, CA. Hamilton will serve as Speaker through the 2025 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition to be held in Nashville, TN.
A full list of other adopted APhA policies can be found via the APhA website here.