U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark, at left, discusses the importance of flu vaccinations with Heather Schultz, a pharmacist at a Saginaw, Michigan, Meijer Pharmacy.
I want to thank and recognize Heather Schultz, a pharmacist at a Meijer Pharmacy in Saginaw, Michigan, for representing the profession, the industry, her company, and NACDS so effectively in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation event on Thursday. Many thanks as well to NACDS Chair Rick Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer, Inc., and the entire Meijer team for their engagement in this event.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation featured Heather as part of an expert panel in the latest episode of Path Forward: Navigating the Return to Work. In an interview with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark, Heather discussed the importance of flu vaccinations every year, and this year in particular to prevent a two-front war with flu and COVID-19. Today’s episode of Path Forward focused on flu shots, masks and COVID-19 testing.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation bills Path Forward as a series “designed to help business and community leaders find the answers they need to execute a responsible reopening strategy and plan for a post-pandemic world.”
It is imperative that pharmacy, NACDS members and NACDS as an organization demonstrate leadership in events like this one.
- It conveys important information that is crucial for public health and for reigniting the economy and job creation.
- It reflects well on the heroic efforts of pharmacy team members every day in service to their patients, communities and nation.
- It also aligns extremely well with NACDS’ flu-vaccination communications campaign. The campaign delivers health messages that are important now. It also positions all pharmacies and pharmacists to leverage their trust and accessibility in the administration and communication of COVID-19 vaccinations when they are safe, effective and available.
- Further, it contributes to the larger case for pharmacy’s essential role, which must be advanced by sound scope of practice and reimbursement policies for the ultimate benefit of all patients – and particularly those in the greatest need.
Next week, I will have the opportunity to continue this narrative by participating in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce virtual event, titled “The Next Wave: Keeping America Safe & Open.”
Again, I want to express sincere appreciation to Meijer’s Heather Schultz for taking these important messages and strategies to the national stage and to key influencers in the business, policy and political communities.
