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In This Issue July 23, 2021 Dear <<First Name>>, Welcome to this week's issue of the California Pharmacists Association's CEO Message. IN THIS ISSUE House of Delegates Policy Forum On August 4 & 5 from 6 - 7:30 pm, join us on Hopin to discuss the policies that will be considered at this year's House of Delegates. Both days will have the same presentations. [Register] SIG Alert: Pharmacy Owners SIG meeting on Wednesday, August 11 at 6:15 pm July 20, 2021 On behalf of the Chair, Dr. Katie Bass, and Chair-Elect, Dr. Lisa Hohenthaner, I would like to invite you to a meeting of the CPhA Pharmacy Owner SIG. [Read Alert] Work On Your Leadership July 16, 2021 We want you to learn how to "Leader Up" at Leader Development Day. [Read Memo] Membership Matters: Evaluating Pharmacists Preparedness and Support for the Battle Against the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey July 13, 2021 The California Pharmacy Student Leadership (CAPSLEAD) students from West Coast University (WCU), Center for Graduate Studies are conducting research on the support and preparedness that were given during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read Memo] SIG Alert: Compounding SIG Meeting on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 July 13, 2021 The next Compounding SIG meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 14, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. [Read Alert] The CPhA Election Results are In July 9, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the California Pharmacists Association wishes to thank every candidate, voter and member of the association that were involved in the 2021-2022 election. [Read Memo] Membership Minute: See the latest news from CPhA! July 6, 2021 Read the latest news from YOUR association. [Read Newsletter] BACK TO TOP The Future of Telemedicine as the COVID-19 Pandemic Wanes Mary Reed, DrPH, research scientist at Kaiser Permanente, discussed what changes would be necessary to continue providing quality virtual health care to patients with diabetes. [Read Article] Study Finds COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Young Adults May Obstruct Herd Immunity The research team analyzed data from the Household Pulse Survey in March 2021, which is an online nationally representative sample of the population conducted by the US Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics and other agencies. [Read Article] Navigating Patient Home Care During COVID-19 and Beyond Home infusion of specialty medications was an outpatient service offered to patients before the pandemic started; however, with COVID-19, home infusion became more important than ever. [Read Article] Early Anticoagulant Treatment Found to Reduce Death in Moderately Ill COVID-19 Patients Heparin, a blood thinner given regularly at a low dose to hospitalized patients, helps to stop clots from forming and reduces inflammation. [Read Article] FDA Grants Priority Review to Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine The companies completed the rolling submission of their application in May 2021, and the Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for a decision is in January 2022. [Read Article] Where's All This Waste Going? The Environmental Impact of Vaccinations in the Time of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased vigilance over the proper disposal of vaccine-related materials, such as vials, needles, syringes, and bandages. [Read Article] Study: COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy, Awareness Important to Convert Hesitant Individuals Adults unsure about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine who were given more information about the vaccine’s efficacy scored 20% higher on a measure of willingness to be vaccinated versus others who received no information. [Read Article] Study Finds Flu Shots Protect Against Some Severe COVID-19 Symptoms Individuals with COVID-19 who had not had a flu shot were up to 20% more likely to be admitted to the ICU and were up to 58% more likely to visit the emergency department. [Read Article] California coronavirus hospitalizations hit highest point in months as Delta spreads A spate of new coronavirus infections is striking California’s healthcare system, pushing COVID-19 hospitalizations to levels not seen since early spring — lending new urgency to efforts to tamp down transmission as a growing number of counties urge residents to wear masks indoors. [Read Article] Just One More Shot: Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy During a Pandemic Since the start of the pandemic, politicization and misinformation have led to hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine hesitancy is not a new behavior. [Read Article] The Lambda Variant: What You Should Know And Why Experts Say Not To Panic While the delta variant of the coronavirus has quickly become the dominant strain in the United States, it's not the only variant circulating in the population. [Read Article] Delta made up 83% of California’s recently sampled COVID cases, matching U.S. rate The highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 has made up more than 80% of California samples sequenced for July, the same proportion top U.S. health officials have recently cited as the national rate. [Read Article] Breakthrough COVID cases: Doctor explains your chances of contracting virus after vaccination As the Delta variant spreads, we are learning more about breakthrough COVID-19 cases. [Read Article] Most of the U.S. is back in COVID 'high risk' level. Here's where California stands Two months ago, the COVID-19 situation was looking very encouraging in the U.S., with a steady vaccination rollout and low coronavirus case rates almost nationwide. [Read Article] Why should vaccinated people wear masks? UCSF expert gives his take. Counties across California are recommending that people wear face masks, even those who are fully vaccinated, in public indoor places as the highly contagious delta variant drives an uptick in COVID-19 cases. [Read Article] Pharmacy Technicians Are Valued More Than Ever: Insights Into a Team- Centered Immunization Approach With many people remaining to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and everyone 6 months and older needing an annual influenza vaccine for the 2021-2022 season, many pharmacies are turning to pharmacy technicians to assist in the process. [Read Article] Study: Independent Pharmacy Customers Younger than Anticipated, Satisfied With Product Options Offered Presented during Cardinal Health’s Retail Business Conference, the findings show that 1 in 4 shoppers is 40 years of age or younger, compared to pharmacists’ expectation that the majority of their customers are between 51 and 64 years of age. [Read Article] Pharmacists Play Essential Roles in Transitions of Care Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are perfectly positioned to help manage patients' transitions of care, according to experts with University of Michigan Health. [Read Article] Prescription Discount Programs: Patients with Improved Outcomes Examples of patient populations with improved medication adherence and savings achieved because of Prescription Discount Programs are discussed. [Read Article] UV Protection: Don’t Let Patients Feel the Burn Many individuals underestimate the importance of protecting their skin from the sun. [Read Article] How to Address Customer Concerns Regarding Uncovered Prescriptions in the Pharmacy Setting Since pharmacy is a service business, the required process of communicating and educating customers, working closely with physicians, and navigating relief programs can help patients customers address the problems and stress of receiving a denial by their insurance company. [Read Article] Pharmacy Focus Episode 27: Managing Burnout and Clutter feat. The Burnout Doctor The Pharmacy Times® Pharmacy Focus podcast provides the latest industry news and information, thought-leader insights, clinical updates, patient counseling tools, and innovative solutions for the everyday practice and business of pharmacy. [Read Article] Johnson & Johnson Issues Voluntary Recall for Neutrogena, Aveeno Aerosol Sunscreen Products Due to Benzene Presence The cause of the issue is being further investigated, which is limited to certain aerosol sunscreen products based on the samples. [Read Article] Vaccine to Protect Against Hepatitis C May Be Available in Next 5 Years A huge cost savings could be generated with the success of a hepatitis C vaccine. [Read Article] Equal but Not the Same—2021 Update on Influenza Vaccines As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue, it is more important than ever for pharmacists to be equipped with the knowledge and resources to bust the myths surrounding vaccinations, particularly in preparation for the upcoming influenza season, which is expected to occur from October 2021 to May 2022. [Read Article] Technical Literacy, Digital Etiquette Are Essential to Teaching Telehealth in Pharmacy Schools By adequately working with students in advance and giving them ample opportunities to practice, pharmacy schools can prepare students for the future of the profession. [Read Article] Legal Tools to Protect Specialty Pharmacies In today’s complicated pharmacy benefits landscape, with increasing dominance by a collection of vertically integrated payor and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) networks, hospital and health- system specialty pharmacies have some legal tools that they can use to address challenges, such as network access, mandatory white-bagging policies and payor activities in the 340B space. [Read Article] The Effect of Provider Status Legislation on the Role of a Pharmacist Ken Perez, MBA, vice president of healthcare policy and government affairs at Omnicell, discussed the changes that would take place if pharmacists were granted provider status for Medicare Part B. [Read Article] Pharmacists Can Help Patients Manage, Prevent Migraines Community pharmacists can play an important role in the prevention and management of migraines, whether by helping them identify differences between a migraine and a severe headache or by providing medication management, according to a panel of experts in a recent Pharmacy Times Peer Exchange. [Read Article] Why a New mRNA-Based Flu Vaccine May Be the Most Effective Yet On July 7, 2021, Moderna announced that participants received vaccination doses in the Phase 1/2 study of mRNA-1010, the company’s seasonal influenza mRNA vaccine for healthy adults in the United States.
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