Late Winter 2021 E-Newsletter
A Message from Our President

Dear :

I am pleased to share that CSHP continues to make progress meeting our strategic goals. More than 50% of our 2020 -2022 plans are complete or in progress as a result of the commitment and ardent work of our Board of Directors and leadership. Our Education, Legislative, and Communications Committees, and Task Force teams for pharmacy technicians, industry partners, residents and students have been collaborating to prepare and execute our events planned throughout the year. Please read through our NewsBrief to learn more.
 
I would like to specifically highlight our Legislative Committee's work led by Steph Luon and Cory Heck who garnered support and provided testimonials at the public hearing held on February 25, 2021 for the Connecticut General Law Committee to remove the 30-day reporting requirement for CDTM agreements. They continue to work on behalf of health system pharmacy to ensure our voices are heard. I truly hope this inspires you as a pharmacist to advocate for the work you do by engaging in future written or oral testimonies, or to join our Legislative Committee.
 
As you are aware, membership in CSHP is critical to sustaining our mission. Please encourage your colleagues to sign up for membership at Join CSHP. Consider joining a committee by filling out this form: Get Involved.

We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to provide any feedback on initiatives that you would like to see us do. You can always reach out to your hospital ambassador or to me directly.
Sincerely,
Teresa Papstein, RPh, BCNSP
2021 CSHP President
A Major Change Ahead

The CSHP Board of Directors is excited to announce that we are transitioning to a new association management company, Impact Association Management.
 
First, we’d like to recognize Sherri Oken, CAE, and The Association Advantage LLC, for over 10 years of dedicated service provided to CSHP. We would never be in the strong place that we are today without her guidance and management. She has helped us achieve a strong financial footing, provided you with well-planned meetings, and has kept everything running smoothly behind the scenes. We wish her well as she moves into retirement.
 
Our dedicated team from Impact includes Senior Association Manager, Heather Kramer, and Association Manager, Devin Schiesser. This team provides expertise in finances, website optimization, and membership recruitment and engagement. During the month of March, we are working closely with the Impact executive team for a smooth transition. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. We look forward to introducing you directly to our management team as they get into their groove with CSHP!
CSHP Resident Task Force Update
Submitted by Youssef Bessada, PharmD, and Jordan Siembor, PharmD
 
To kick-off the New Year, the Professional Development subcommittee of the Resident Task Force hosted Mock Interviews for their fellow PGY1 Pharmacy Resident peers and members of the student chapters to help with their preparation. These included tips for a successful virtual interview, examples of common residency interview questions and tips on providing more complete answers.
 
The Task Force continues to work with other committees within CSHP, including a new Social Media initiative called the “Resident Spotlight,” which is led by the Social Media Chair and Subcommittee and highlights residents all across health-systems throughout the state to display the great variety of residencies available and showcase all our CT residents have to offer. The spotlights have already begun. Make sure to check them out on our Instagram account on our Instagram page @ctsocietypharm!
 
Finally, the Advocacy and Networking Subcommittees will close out the residency year with newsletters highlighting legislative updates including State, Federal and COVID-19 updates, networking opportunities, and how members can be involved as new residents after match day, respectively. Keep an eye out for our spotlights, newsletters and more updates from the Resident Task Force in upcoming weeks.
 
If you have any questions or would like to know how to get more involved with the CSHP Resident Task Force, please contact Jordan Siembor ([email protected]) and Youssef Bessada ([email protected]).
A Remedy for Social Distancing
For members only!

In these challenging times of social distancing, it's important to stay in touch with other members including those at other facilities. Through the CSHP website, members may contact other members by email. Just log on (don't forget to set up your password) and enter a person's name.

Note: Your privacy is protected. Only your name with credentials, job title and place of employment will be visible. No personal information or email address is revealed.
Upcoming CE Program
Is health equity achievable during Covid-19?
Pharmacists can play a key role
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Complimentary registration for current CSHP members
1.5 live ACPE credit hours for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

CLICK for all the details and to register
Annual Connecticut Compound Conference
Legislative
CSHP Legislative Update
Submitted by Stephanie Luon, PharmD, BCACP, BCPS and Cory Heck, PharmD, BCCCP
 
We want to say THANK YOU to the members who provided oral testimony, submitted written testimony, and or spoke to your colleagues in support of RB 895 An Act Concerning Changes to Various Pharmacy Statutes. To review the testimony submitted for raised bill 895 click here. Each of you provided thoughtful examples to help legislators understand why this is so important to streamline our practice and enable us to care for even more patients. During the public hearing, no one spoke against this Bill, so we are hopeful it will be reviewed favorably by the house and senate and signed by the governor into law.
 
This legislative session we are pursuing minor modifications to facilitate practice within CDTM agreements. We are collaborating with the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, the Department of Consumer Protection and others on advancing pharmacy practice within CT. Recently, we met with leadership from the two major health systems in Connecticut to begin discussions surrounding the further advancement of pharmacy practice and work that needs to be done before the following legislative cycle. We plan to focus on the transition from patient-specific collaborative practice agreements to population health-based agreements. This would enable pharmacists to contribute to the provision of high quality patient care on a broader level for patients in CT. We also plan to pursue reimbursement strategies in the outpatient settings to make provision of these services more sustainable.
 
We are seeking members to join CSHP's Legislative Committee.
We need your assistance! We will provide training; No experience is necessary.
As a member of this committee, you have the opportunity to be involved in:
  • Communicating with multidisciplinary health care colleagues
  • Contributing ideas to further advance the profession of pharmacy through legislation
  • Communicating with your legislators
  • Testifying verbally and/or in writing for proposed legislation
  • Sharing patient experience stories
  • Advocating for your profession
  • Encouraging your colleagues to get involved
  • Writing newsletter articles
 
If you are interested in joining out committee and have not already done so, please email [email protected]. We will be holding our first meeting within the next several weeks. We look forward to working with you!
Attention Pharmacy Technicians!
 
CSHP's Pharmacy Technician Task Force is currently exploring technician immunization administration certificate program licensing options from CEImpact, APhA, and NPTA. Technicians who register and complete the program would be able to sit for the PTCB Immunization Administration Exam. More information to come.

If you would like to work with the Task Force, please contact Phil Rosselli

Please encourage the pharmacy technicians at your facility to JOIN CSHP. Annual dues are just $35.
Submitted by: Lauren Bronson, PharmD Candidate 2022; Student Chapter President
 
Happy March!
 
UConn CSHP is happy to be welcoming Spring and the future events we have planned for the rest of the spring semester. Since our last edition, we have had more members volunteering at the state's COVID vaccination clinics. We want to thank all the pharmacists who have been working at these clinics for their time and guidance!
 
Other than these clinics, the E-board has been working on setting up our future events. We plan to have a P4 panel where P4 students will come in and address rotation related questions for our non-P4 members, talk about their experience in the residency match and any tips for the process!
 
We are also looking to have a Residency Director Panel so that our members can gauge what residency directors look for in their future applicants. This event will also be important in opening the floor for discussion surrounding anything residency related. In the past, we had participation from institutions such as YNHH, Hartford Hospital, UCONN Health, Waterbury Hospital, and Baystate Medical Center. We hope to have all these and more participants this year.
 
Elections for our Chapter are also coming up at the beginning of April. We are looking forward to having another strong executive board that can carry us through the next year and continues putting on great events.
Submitted by Jenessa Teta; PharmD Candidate, 2022; Student Chapter President; APhA-ASP, Vice President 2020-2022

The students at USJ are moving full speed ahead through the spring semester. 

In honor of February being American Heart Month, our Heart Health Co-Chairs made sure to host multiple events to raise awareness and get everyone engaged. SSHP was able to host a Heart Health Jeopardy competition, and a Cardiothoracic and Abdominal Solid Organ Transplant Lunch and Learn with Dr. Mabel Wai and Dr. Hillary Kuzaro. Students were able to review key cardio concepts and learn about a field that is not discussed in great detail during school. 

Additionally, students had the opportunity to attend a workshop provided by CSHP’s Legislative Chairperson, Dr. Steph Luon, entitled “Advocate Advance Our Profession.” This was an eye-opening experience regarding how we can get involved with legislative efforts within the state of Connecticut, even while still in school. It also was interesting to learn what changes are currently being discussed within the pharmacy field and how if just a few words in a bill were modified, it changes an entire process. 
 
SSHP also would like to thank USJ’s very own Dr. Tiffany Tsai and Dr. Stephanie Zahn for their insight into the field of ambulatory care. Students were able to learn more about their practice site, First Choice Health Center, day-to-day responsibilities, how they adapted to working throughout the pandemic, and how to set yourself up for success in the field.  

P3 students will now be in their final APPE block, P2 students are anxiously awaiting the chance to pick APPE sites, and P1 students are looking forward to their month-long IPPE rotation in May. Spring is in sight and we cannot wait. The end of the spring semester will be here before we know it. We are hopeful to host many more events before the torch is handed off to the next e-board. Stay healthy! 
CSHP is your professional community.

For over 70 years, we have represented the interests of health-system pharmacy professionals and those training to enter the profession. We provide professional development opportunities, advocacy and a community for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, aspiring pharmacists and our industry partners.

We invite all members to become active participants in CSHP.
Click to Activate your membership and please encourage your colleagues to join us.
Have you just completed a residency and started a new job? Did you graduate last spring and are now a resident? Please log into your contact listing on the CSHP web site and update your information. We also encourage you to update your membership status: Resident to Active Pharmacist; Student to Resident or Active Pharmacist.
Our Value Statement CSHP provides you with a community of pharmacy professionals who share their time, resources, and expertise to work together toward a common goal of professional growth and enhanced patient outcomes.