On April 16, 2019, over 30 ACCP members joined with ACCP’s Government and Professional Affairs team for the Sixth Annual DC-CCP Capitol Hill Advocacy Day. The group was led by Lisa Peters, Pharm.D., clinical specialist pharmacist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and included several student pharmacists from the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy - Shenandoah University.
DC-CCP Members taking the CMM Message to Capitol Hill
The DC-CCP represents members from across the Washington metropolitan area, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Participation in the annual event continues to grow, with 2019 being the year of the largest group ever to have participated in Advocacy Day.
The 2019 group met at ACCP’s Washington, D.C., offices for an overview of ACCP’s advocacy platform, the current legislative environment, and the congressional lobbying process. On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate office buildings sit on opposite sides of the Capitol building itself, so the group split up as they made their way up Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Members from Virginia proceeded to the House side to meet with Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), while those from Maryland headed to the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building for their meeting with the staff of Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). From there, the groups undertook a full schedule of afternoon meetings with elected officials from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Although most of these offices are already familiar with ACCP and its advocacy priorities, the importance of the direct engagement of these active ACCP members in the political process cannot be overstated, whether in Washington, D.C., or back home during congressional recesses or “district work periods.” In particular, student pharmacists bring a particularly compelling story to the advocacy process, highlighting their passion for patient care and the goal of team-based medication optimization.
Consistent with ACCP’s advocacy priorities, the groups’ lobbying visits focused on the College’s efforts to establish Medicare coverage for comprehensive medication management (CMM) services delivered by qualified clinical pharmacists as part of the overall evolution of Medicare payment policy. In addition, with Congress focused on developing policy solutions to address the opioid crisis, the groups took the opportunity to urge the full integration of clinical pharmacists into patient-centered health care teams to help ensure the safe, rational prescribing and use of opioids.
Overall, the 2019 Annual DC-CCP Capitol Hill Advocacy Day was successful and enjoyable. ACCP would like to recognize Lisa Peters for her hard work and commitment to ACCP’s advocacy agenda. Peters received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and completed her pharmacy practice residency at the Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is a former president of the D.C. chapter of the College of Clinical Pharmacy and has been a tireless leader in organizing the DC-CCP Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill as well as a passionate advocate for patients and the profession.
DC-CCP members embracing the bipartisan spirit on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, outside ACCP’s Washington office.
Any ACCP chapter or individual member interested in visiting Washington to lobby on Capitol Hill should contact ACCP’s Washington office, where staff can help facilitate and support their advocacy efforts.
For more information on any of ACCP’s advocacy efforts, please contact:
John McGlew
Director, Government Affairs
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004-1017
(202) 621-1820
[email protected]