I recently received a videotape from ASHP entitled "Translating National Goals into Local Action". The videotape is narrated by Debra S. Devereaux, MBA, FASHP, President of ASHP. The 10 minute video describes ASHP's progress on the 6 planks of the Society's 2002-03 Leadership Agenda. Although ASHP's intent is to play the video during one of our meetings, I felt that this would be difficult due to the availability of equipment and time constraints. Therefore, I have summarized the main points below.

The 2002-2003 Leadership Agenda formally communicates ASHP's organizational priorities and serves as a framework for future activities. The six major planks of the Agenda are listed below with the progress to date indicated as indented bullet points.

Foster fail-safe medication use in health systems.

• Center for Patient Safety provides CE, comprehensive website, strategic alliances, and supports barcoding.
• Medication safety officer job description available on ASHP's website.
• Expand access to the patient-care services of health-system pharmacists.

Support Medicare and Medicaid provider status for pharmacists. 

• Public relations initiative with pharmacy directors to convey pharmacists' unique roles to the public (publicinfo@ashp.org).
• Collaborative Drug Therapy Management authority in 34 states

Help health-system pharmacists deal with the affordability and accessibility of pharmaceuticals.

• "Drug-cost technique" checklist being developed.

Foster an adequate supply of practitioners and practice leaders in health-system pharmacy.

• New section of Pharmacy Practice Managers
• Advocated federal support for pharmacy training and education
• Foster expansion of residency training
• New virtual mentoring program instituted

Close the gaps in health-system pharmacy emergency preparedness.

• Advocate that pharmacists be involved at all levels of emergency preparedness planning
• Close drug supply chain gaps
• Counterterrorism website and CE
• Assist Public Health Services
• Recruit pharmacist volunteers to participate in chemoprophylaxis and mass vaccination if needed

Accelerate efforts to help health-system pharmacists prepare for advances in science and technology.

• Section of Clinical Specialists and Researchers to provide input.
• Establish genetics resource center
• Provide CE in the areas of genome project, nanotechnology, genomics, and immunomodulation

For more information, please visit www.ashp.org

Although it may be difficult to believe with the continued cold weather, spring is just around the corner. WMSHP Past-President, Stacy Brownell, is busy planning the program for the Annual Spring Seminar. The Spring Seminar will be held on Thursday, May 1 at the Crowne Plaza in Grand Rapids. Technician, internal medicine, and infectious disease tracks will be available. Topics for the technician track include technology and law updates and an overview of small pox vaccination programs. The internal medicine track will offer presentations about diabetes, psychiatric issues, and a pediatric topic. Nosocomial infections, community acquired pneumonia and tuberculosis will be covered in the infectious disease track. A program announcement will be sent out in the near future with more details.

Our April meeting will occur on the 3rd of the month and two pharmacy practice residents have been selected to present their residency projects at the meeting. All pharmacy practice residents are required to complete a project during their residency program. The project may be in the form of original research, a problem-solving exercise, or development, enhancement or evaluation of some aspect of pharmacy operations or patient care services. Residents from our area present their projects at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference. This year's conference will occur in April at Purdue University. Approximately 160 residents and 150 preceptors from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin participate in this conference. It is the "capstone" event for residents and also provides the residents and preceptors an opportunity to network and learn about other resident projects and programs. The two residents who will present at WMSHP in April are Brian Berryhill, PharmD, Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health and Sheila Kasten, PharmD, Managed Care Pharmacy Resident with Pfizer, Ferris State University, Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Brian will be presenting "Development and Implementation of an Inpatient Heart Failure Protocol" and Sheila will discuss the "Impact of Pharmacist Intervention on LDL-C Goal Attainment in Diabetics".

Brad Miller, Pharm.D., Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health, has graciously volunteered to serve as WMSHP's webmaster in designing and maintaining a website for us. I'll keep you posted about the progress and let you know when it's available.

I'd also like to extend WMSHP's congratulations to Joan Rider, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Coordinator at Ferris State University, on her installation as President of the Michigan Pharmacists Association. Joan is past-president and board member of WMSHP and was installed as MPA's president on February 22 during the 2003 MPA Annual Convention and Exposition.