Message from the ACPC President Fall 2020

As I write this, I note that as the President of your professional association we enter the AGM season with a stable membership base but the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged ACPC and its ability to operate and communicate effectively thereby compromising the kind of grass-roots organization you, as members, need and want. To that end, as a Board and members of the Association, we strive to find ways to innovate and grow our membership.

Last year, many members identified the AGM as a highlight of and for their year. We had a rich agenda with a faculty that was both informative and learning centred. We were also just at the end of a federal election in 2019 and had the opportunity to understand what path the legislative and regulatory would go in the months ahead. But all that was before the pandemic hit!

The new year culminated with high level meetings between our Association and the Deputy Minister of Health – it was a good way to kick off the year and we were encouraged that Health Canada wanted compounding pharmacy to participate in formulating national policy for pharmacy. Further, we are now part of the multi-stakeholder working group on issues related to the profession – including shortages. Then the pandemic hit!

The pandemic itself has transformed much of the way people manage their lives and businesses operate. The isolation, the shift in priorities and the loss of jobs, social activities and other day to day things that we might have taken for granted have been transformed – likely for years to come. The COVID 19 infection is not to be taken lightly and our patients have come to expect more from us as compounding pharmacy. More to the point, the pandemic has exposed weaknesses in our health system – long term care, the indiscriminate attack on all demographics and the fact that the virus will not just go away! So, we have to adjust – including your Association.

We cannot remain static, ACPC has business to conduct as the profession strives to continue its work. To that end, we are looking to the weekend of October 24, 2020 for the Annual Meeting. This year, for the first time in our history, we plan to hold the Annual meeting virtually. More information will follow in a separate note from the Association.

We are finalizing the agenda for the Annual Meeting including compelling speakers and interesting content. There is a lot of ground to cover and I hope that you can adjust your schedules to attend – virtually.

The Annual Meeting will include the election of a new Board for ACPC, I want to announce that I will not be seeking re-election as President of the Board. My tenure has been filled with exceptional progress for the profession and it’s time to pass the baton. A transition is underway and Shelonie Cooley, from New Brunswick, has indicated that she will assume the role as President and I look forward to working with her. There will be vacancies on the Board as a result and I encourage any member of ACPC to seek a position. Voting rules and procedure will also follow in a separate note.

With a dedicated and knowledgeable Board, we will be launching a plan this fall to provide better communication to members, outreach to regulators and other associations across Canada. The plan will consist of dealing effectively with the challenges our profession faces – the impact(s) of the NAPRA Regulations, shortages and the role of compounding pharmacy in healthcare.