Washington, D.C. – “Momentum” seems a fitting name for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ (NACDS) second get-out-the-vote video ad. The spot urges pharmacy personnel to sustain legislative success at the federal and state levels by making their engagement known in the 2016 elections, and its debut comes in the same week that the first video ad – “Effective” – surpassed 10,000 views on YouTube in two months’ time.
This second video continues to make the case that engagement in the political arena is essential for telling the story of pharmacy patient care, and for advancing a pro-patient and pro-pharmacy policy agenda.
The video ads encourage pharmacists and other pharmacy team members to vote and volunteer for the candidates of their choice. They are part of the larger NACDS RxIMPACT Votes get-out-the-vote effort, one aspect of NACDS’ suite of grassroots advocacy resources under the NACDS RxIMPACT name.
The ads bear the “hashtag” #PharmacyVoter – which is being used in social media to foster a community-wide focus on voter engagement. The website PharmacyVoter.org also showcases the effort and provides information about how to engage politically.
“The first video emerged as a rallying cry to help take pharmacy’s grassroots and political activism to the next level. It has been great to see NACDS members, state association partners, colleges and schools of pharmacy and other allies using it to engage more pharmacy activists,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE.
“This second video continues to make the case that engagement in the political arena is essential for telling the story of pharmacy patient care, and for advancing a pro-patient and pro-pharmacy policy agenda.”
The first 30-second ad – called “Effective” – debuted in March during NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, when nearly 400 pharmacy advocates met with approximately 90 percent of the U.S. Congress to discuss key patient care issues. To make its point, “Effective” compared votes that are not cast to another wasted opportunity: doses of medication that are not taken as prescribed and thus unable to help the patient.
The ad unveiled today – “Momentum” – says that it is necessary to keep federal and state legislators’ attention in order to build on increasing recognition of pharmacy’s value. The ad notes that more than 60 percent of the U.S. House of Representatives and more than 40 percent of the U.S. Senate have cosponsored legislation to name pharmacists as healthcare providers in Medicare Part B, and improve access to pharmacist-provided services for the medically underserved (Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Access Enhancement Act – H.R. 592 and S. 314).
NACDS RxIMPACT Votes seeks to leverage the omnipresence of pharmacies in communities across the nation. NACDS members operate pharmacies in every state and Congressional District. Nearly all Americans – 86 percent – live within five miles of a community pharmacy.
The videos, website and social media engagement are designed to call attention to resources that pharmacy personnel and companies can use to inspire engagement in the political process. NACDS’ online resources help to identify candidates running for office in a geographic area; help to understand how to take the first step to volunteer on a campaign; help to plan an effective get-out-the-vote rally; and how to build a company culture that emphasizes participation in our nation’s system of government.
