NACDS expands state team with hiring of advocacy expert Leigh Knotts
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Monday announced that state health policy professional Leigh Knotts will serve as director of state government affairs, responsible for advocacy in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Knotts will join NACDS’ state team, for a total of six state directors, all of whom report to Sandra Guckian, NACDS VP state government affairs.
NACDS stated that Knotts’ background as a state government affairs advocate will further strengthen its advocacy for community pharmacy and the promotion of community pharmacies’ role in improving patient health and reducing healthcare costs. She will work to advance NACDS state priorities with NACDS members and state partners in support of pro-patient, pro-pharmacy policies.
The expansion and enhanced role of NACDS’ state government affairs team represents the increased emphasis on community-pharmacy provided services at the state level. Pharmacists in every state can administer the influenza vaccine, with many states increasing neighborhood pharmacists’ authority to other offer immunizations, including tetanus, hepatitis and shingles. NACDS state priorities include addressing pharmacy benefit manager issues and demonstrating the importance of fair and adequate Medicaid reimbursement, NACDS said.
“We are thrilled to welcome Leigh to NACDS. The NACDS membership expects the association to place a high priority on state government affairs issues, and the caliber and capacity of the newly enhanced team shows that NACDS is executing aggressively in this vital area,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson saod. “Along with maintaining a proactive footing at the federal level, NACDS is 100% committed to working with state associations and policy-makers to unleash the unsurpassed value of neighborhood pharmacies for the benefit of patient care.”
Knotts most recently worked in government relations at Berry, Quackenbush & Stuart, PA, and held multiple positions in the real estate industry.