Barry Bryant wins Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award
WASHINGTON — Barry Bryant, owner of Barney’s Pharmacy in Augusta, Ga., is a true community advocate whose acts of kindness and education have earned him this year’s Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award at the 24th annual Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference held in Washington, D.C.
This annual award honors a retail independent pharmacist who promotes the ideals of community pharmacy and demonstrates the important role retail pharmacists can play in delivering quality patient care. Nominees, selected by fellow independent pharmacists and Cardinal Health leaders, are evaluated on a variety of criteria, including community service and involvement, ability to inspire others, and commitment to making their communities better places to live.
“Our winner is a perfect example of what the Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award means,” said Steve Lawrence, SVP of Independent Sales for Cardinal Health, who noted that Bryant’s community outreach efforts begin within his pharmacy.
Bryant organizes and hosts support group meetings for breast cancer and ostomy patients; hosts a free Health Fair every fall where he offers free health screenings and wellness classes; and supports many local community groups through charitable giving. He also has created a patient education program that features free classes each month on such topics as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD/asthma, depression/mental illness and weight loss.
“It is a humbling honor to be recognized for something that all of the pharmacists [in this room] do each and every day. It is what we do,” said Bryant upon receiving the award during the Opening Night Celebration on July 24. “If I can do this, any of you can do this.”
As a way of recognizing Bryant’s commitment to community service to the pharmacy profession and residents of the Augusta area, Cardinal Health will donate $5,000 to the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy and $5,000 to the University of Georgia School of Pharmacy in Bryant’s honor.
Additional finalists for the 2014 Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award included:
Chukwuma Madu of Freeport Medical Supply in Freeport, N.Y.;
Robert Gisnik of Southrifty Drug in Southampton, N.Y.;
George Hammons of Knox Professional Pharmacy in Barbourville, Ky.; and
Deborah Walker Robinson of Walker’s Pharmacy in Newton, N.C.
This annual award was created in honor of Tampa, Fla., independent pharmacist Ken Wurster, who passed away in 2008. Wurster was highly regarded for his commitment to serving his customers, and epitomized the role of a pharmacist who took responsibility for the wellness of his community.
All nominations were evaluated by members of Cardinal Health’s National Retail Advisory Board and a team of Cardinal Health employees. The five finalists were sent to an executive committee, including Cardinal Health leadership and NRAB members who together selected Bryant for his community commitment.