NACDS brushes up new members of Congress on importance of community pharmacy to U.S. health care

ALEXANDRIA, Va. In a clear message to the newly elected lawmakers that pharmacies can be utilized even more effectively to help reduce healthcare costs and improve healthcare quality, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores sent a pharmacy briefing letter Friday to each of the new lawmakers.

“NACDS is highly engaged on issues that impact pharmacy and its patients. As the face of neighborhood healthcare, pharmacy is a convenient, accessible healthcare provider, with locations in every congressional district across the United States,” said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. 

In the letter, NACDS detailed ways in which “pharmacies are vital to healthcare delivery in the United States and can be utilized even more effectively to help reduce healthcare costs and improve healthcare quality.” The briefing letter invited the new members of Congress to tour pharmacies in their home states to get a firsthand look at the value of community pharmacy, and offered assistance through NACDS’ RxIMPACT program. It also included a copy of NACDS’ “Pharmacies: Improving Health, Reducing Costs,” which explains the role of pharmacy in greater detail.

“NACDS looks forward to working with the newly elected lawmakers in the 112th Congress to achieve pro-patient, pro-pharmacy policies,” Anderson said.