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Florida Welcomes New COPLake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy Bradenton Prepares for Second Year

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VOL. 71 | NO. 7JULY 2008 the OfficiaL pUbLicatiON Of thefLOrida pharmacY assOciatiONP H A R M A C Y T O D A Y

florida

Departments 4 calendar

4 advertisers

5 president’s Viewpoint

7 executive insight

19 buyer’s Guide

Featuresflorida Welcomes New cOpLake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy Bradenton Prepares for Second Year

respiratory illness, dog bites among top concerns for travelers to china

fewer Kids suffering from rotavirus this season

10

1518

J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 3

2008

FPA Calendar JULY

9-13 118th AnnuAl FPA Meeting And ConFerenCe

Orlando, Florida

11 gAtherin hotel registrAtion ends

18 lAst dAy to register For the 25th AnnuAl se gAtherin

20-23 AACP AnnuAl Meeting

Chicago, Illinois

31 - 8/3 FshP AnnuAl Meeting

AUgUst

1-3 southeAstern oFFiCer's ConFerenCe

Biloxi, MS

3-6 southeAstern gAtherin

Sandestin, Florida

8 FPA legislAtive CoMMittee Meeting

Orlando, Florida

12-13 FloridA BoArd oF PhArMACy Meeting Orlando, Florida

17-19 nABP regionAl Meeting

Sandestin, Florida

23 - 24 FPA CoMMittee And CounCil Meetingshilton orlAndo north

sEPtEMBER

1 lABor dAy - FPA oFFiCe Closed

20-21 FPA CliniCAl ConsultAnt ConFerenCe

Hyatt BonaventureWeston, Florida

OctOBER

11-15 nCPA AnnuAl ConFerenCe Tampa, Florida

18-19 FPA MidyeAr CliniCAl ConFerenCe Sheraton Orlando North

NOvEMBER

1-2 FPA CoMMittee And CounCil Meetings

11 veterAn's dAy - FPA oFFiCe Closed

27-28 thAnksgiving holidAy - FPA oFFiCe Closed

cE cREDIts (CE cycle)The Florida Board of Pharmacy requires 10 hours LIVE Continuing Education as part

of the required 30 hours general education needed every license renewal period.Pharmacists should have satisfied all continuing education requirements for this

biennial period by September 30, 2009 or prior to licensure renewal.*For Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Application, Exam Information and

Study materials, please contact Ranada Simmons in the FPA office.For More Information on CE Programs or Events:Contact the Florida Pharmacy Association at (850) 222-2400 or visit our Web site at

www.pharmview.com

cONtActsFPA — Michael Jackson (850) 222-2400FSHP — Michael McQuone (850) 906-9333U/F — Dan Robinson (352) 273-6240FAMU — Otis Kirksey (850) 599-3301NSU — Carsten Evans (954) 262-1300

DIscLAIMER Articles in this publication are designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with respect to the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the under-standing that neither Florida Pharmacy Today nor the Florida Pharmacy Association are engaged in rendering legal or other professional services through this publication. If expert assistance or legal advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The use of all medications or other pharmaceutical products should be used according to the recommendations of the manufacturers. Information provided by the maker of the product should always be consulted before use.

E-MAIL YOUR sUggEstIONs/IDEAs tO

dave@fiorecommunications.com

For a complete calendar of events go to www.pharmview.com

Mission Statements:of the florida pharmacy today JournalThe Florida Pharmacy Today Journal is

a peer reviewed journal which serves as a

medium through which the Florida Phar-

macy Association can communicate with

the profession on advances in the sciences of

pharmacy, socio-economic issues bearing on

pharmacy and newsworthy items of interest

to the profession. As a self-supported journal,

it solicits and accepts advertising congruent

with its expressed mission.

of the florida pharmacy today boardof directors The mission of the Florida Pharmacy Today

Board of Directors is to serve in an advisory

capacity to the managing editor and execu-

tive editor of the Florida Pharmacy Today Journal in the establishment and interpreta-

tion of the Journal’s policies and the manage-

ment of the Journal’s fiscal responsibilities.

The Board of Directors also serves to motivate

the Florida Pharmacy Association members

to secure appropriate advertising to assist the

Journal in its goal of self-support.

AdvertisersFLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ...... 20HAYSLIP & ZOST .............................................. 9HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS .................... 3KAHAN ◆ SHIR, P.L. ....................................... 14MCKESSON ...................................................... 16MEDICAL STAFFINg ..................................... 14PHARMACY PROVIDER

SERVICES (PPSC).......................................... 2PHARMACY MAx ............................................ 9Rx RELIEF ......................................................... 20

4 | f L O r i d a p h a r m a c Y t O d a Y

I experienced a myriad of emotions as I wrote, this, my final article as FPA president. It obviously means

that my year as president is almost over. A year in which life threw numer-ous obstacles in my path, including the loss of two family members. Obstacles that made it difficult at times to main-tain my focus. Nevertheless, I believe we achieved a modicum of success. That success was largely due to the ef-forts of those who picked up the slack when I was preoccupied with other is-sues.

Thus, I must first extend thanks to my fellow officers and my council chairs for lending a hand. Secondly, I want to thank you, the members, for the privilege and honor of serving as your president.

In this article I will address some of the goals that I laid out in my installa-tion address. Additionally, I will com-ment on other events that occurred dur-ing the past year.

goalsIn my installation address “get Out

of the Box,” I indicated that we need to get information to pharmacists in order for them to be able to make the deci-sions necessary to advance their profes-sional careers and “get out of their box.” The primary mechanism that we use to disseminate information is our journal. In order for our journal to reach more people, we need to increase our mem-bership.

Thus, I charged the Organization-al Affairs Council the task to develop a marketing plan tailored to the em-ployee pharmacist. In that process, they were to consider information col-lected from the two employee phar-macist focus groups that we held dur-ing the year. One meeting took place in

Weston, Florida, last fall with a second in Destin in February. As it turns out, this is a multi-faceted issue. There are generational, cultural, societal and geo-graphical components to be addressed. Additional information is needed be-fore we can accomplish that goal.

One of the comments made during the first focus group was that employ-ee pharmacists don’t realize they have a need. As a result, the Organizational Affairs Council developed a survey for the purpose of ascertaining what issues are important to pharmacists, primarily

non-member pharmacists. That survey has been distributed to pharmacists at three different CE meetings to date. Eighty-eight completed surveys were turned in. Once the results are tabulat-ed, we may be able to develop that mar-keting plan.

I charged the Professional Affairs Council the task of developing three, one-page business plans for the pro-vision of MTM services: one for phar-macists who may want to do MTM as part of their regular practice, one for those who may want to do MTM as

an aside to their regular practice, and one for those who want MTM to be their practice. The goal being to publish these business plans in the journal. The council developed a single, far more comprehensive document that will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal.

I charged the Educational Affairs Council the task of putting together an integrated continuing-education pro-gram on medication therapy manage-ment (MTM) services. It was to be a program that would not only address what MTM is but also how to provide those services, how to bill for those ser-vices and how to get reimbursed for those services. That CE program de-buted at our recently completed annu-al meeting.

Health FairAs some of you may be aware, we

have helped facilitate a pharmacist/stu-dent health fair at the state Capitol for a number of years. In the fall of 2006, a decision was made not to engage in that event in 2007 due to new legis-

Are You Ready to get Out of the Box?

The President’s ViewpointBY DON BERgEMANN, FPA PREsIDENt

We need to get information to

pharmacists in order for them to be able to make the decisions

necessary to advance their professional

careers

Don Bergemann, 2007-08 FPA President

J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 5

lative gifting laws. Having witnessed how much the students who participat-ed enjoyed that event, I along with oth-ers opened dialogue with individuals in Tallahassee to find out how we could help reestablish that health fair. In Janu-ary of 2007, myself and others met with the House and Senate general counsels to learn under what conditions pharmacists and students would again be able to con-duct the health fair.

They outlined the parameters; we an-alyzed the information and decided that we could once again help facilitate the event. I was pleased that both pharma-cists and students participated in this event in March of this year. I must thank those pharmacists and students for vol-unteering their time. I also must thank past president Kathy Petsos who led the charge, as chair.

LegislativeLegislatively, I thought that this year

would be somewhat anti-climatic af-ter finally getting the immunization bill passed last year. However, this year’s ses-sion was anything but.

Last year, our House of Delegates passed a resolution supporting techni-cian registration, a position that our col-leagues at FSHP had endorsed a number of years ago. I anticipated that we would help them get a bill passed by the Legis-lature. I did not anticipate that we would be joining them in a war. What appeared to be a rather simple concept, turned into a very nasty battle.

In the end, a bill did get passed by the legislature and was signed by the gover-nor. However, at the time of this writing, mid-May, the governor had not yet taken any action on it.

Over the course of the last few years, we have been working more closely with our FSHP colleagues on legislative ef-forts. I hope that continues to be the case. As a long-time member of both organiza-tions, it has always been my expectation that the leadership of the two organiza-tions will at least communicate regard-ing legislative initiatives that impact the profession.

n

The Florida Pharmacy Association gratefully acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the following members of the FPA leadership who work deligently all year long on behalf of our members.

Chair................................................................................................................. Leo "Lee" FallonPresident ....................................................................................................Don BergemannPresident Elect ......................................................................................Norman TomakaTreasurer ...................................................................................................Michael A. Mone’APP Chair ......................................................................................................Suzanne KelleyHOD Speaker ................................................................................................... Goar AlvarezHOD Vice Speaker ..................................................................................Suzanne KelleyRegion 1 Rep ......................................................................................................Darrell MillerRegion 2 Rep ......................................................................................Allison UnderwoodRegion 3 Rep ........................................................................................... Anita ThompsonRegion 4 Rep ....................................................................................................... Tim RogersRegion 5 Rep ...............................................................................................Alice McNeeseRegion 6 Rep .......................................................................................................Kim MurrayRegion 7 Rep ..............................................................................Sharon Smith-WollnerRegion 8 Rep .......................................................................................................Tom CuomoRegion 9 Rep ............................................................................................Robert J. RennaRegion 10 Rep ....................................................................................................Ayala FishelRegion 11 Rep ............................................................................................................Bob HoyeRegion 12 Rep .....................................................................................John "Dolph" ConeRegion 13 Rep ..........................................................................................Alan OberlenderRegion 14 Rep .......................................................................................................Karen BillsFSHP President .............................................................................Christine GegeckasDean FAMU .................................................................................Henry Lewis, Pharm DDean LECOM .................................................................................. Gary Levin, Pharm DDean NOVA SE ....................................................................Andres Malave, Pharm DDean PBAC ..................................................................................... Dan Brown, Pharm DDean UF ............................................................................................... William Riffee, Ph.D.ASP President FAMU ..................................................................................Erin GaffneyASP President NOVA SE..................................................................Kimberly LamasASP President PBAC ......................................................................................Paul YoungASP President UF .........................................................................................Jennifer KimEducational Affairs Chair ..................................Carmen Aceves-Blumenthal Organizational Affairs Chair .................................................................Alex PytlarzProfessional Affairs Chair................................................................Don ThibodeauPublic Affairs Chair ............................................................Mayra Gonazlez-AbreuJournal Board Chair ....................................................................Peggyann ZaengerFoundation Executive Vice President .................................... Patsey PowersExecutive Vice President and CEO .......................................Michael Jackson

Chairman ...............................................Peggyann Zaenger, pzaenger@fdn.comVice Chair ...............................................................Gary Dalin, HOSPRx50@aol.comSecretary/Treasurer ......................................Patsy Powers, Editor Emeritus

ppowers@pharmview.comMember ...........................................Greta Pelegrin, gretapelegrin@yahoo.comMember ..............................................................Dick Witas, witas@moffitt.usf.eduMember ................................................Joseph Koptowsky, docjik1215@aol.comMember .......................................................................Stuart Ulrich, Stuarx@aol.comMember .......................Stephen Grabowski, sgrabowski@seniormmc.comExecutive Editor ...............Michael Jackson, mjackson@pharmview.comManaging Editor ..................Dave Fiore, dave@fiorecommunications.com

2007/2008 FPA Executive committee

Florida Pharmacy today Journal Board

6 | f L O r i d a p h a r m a c Y t O d a Y

Executive InsightBY MIcHAEL JAcksON, RPH

This month, members and non-member pharmacists and tech-nicians from across Florida came

together at the 118th Annual Meeting and Convention of the Florida Phar-macy Association. For the past sev-eral years, our organization has been sharing information on what to expect with our changing business and prac-tice model. The convention this year focused on out-of-the-box thinking and brought to meeting participants the tools necessary to implement a medi-cation therapy management service to patients. Clearly, the leadership of the FPA has seen through their exhaus-tive review of pharmacy literature and their discussions with colleagues from across America that this profession will change whether or not we are willing to be a part of the transformation.

Consider that the national associa-tions are working together through an organization called the Joint Commis-sion of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP). This group consists of the seven prac-titioner organizations, including the American College of Apothecaries (ACA), the American College of Clin-ical Pharmacy (ACCP), the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), The American Pharmacists Associa-tion (APhA), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the National Community Pharma-cists Association (NCPA).

There also is a liaison part of this group that includes the American As-sociation of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Accrediting Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the Na-tional Association of Boards of Phar-macy (NABP) and the National Alli-

ance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA). It is amazing that in over 22 years of active participation in profes-sional associations, that we now see se-rious collaboration on a unified subject. It is ironic that here in Florida we came to this conclusion several years ago by forming legislative coalitions with oth-er pharmacy-based organizations.

While the FPA has been successful

over the years with public policy advo-cacy, the past several years we have wit-nessed significant support for our legis-lative plan. Florida legislators, none of whom are pharmacists, have come to rely heavily on the FPA for answers to pharmacy issues.

JCCP organizations have been meet-ing to establish a vision for pharmacy for the year 2015. This is only a little over seven years from now. Until re-cently, this group met in a format sim-ilar to the Florida Pharmacy Council.

There was a lot of discussion on phar-macy-related issues, however, because of a lack of structure needed to execute action and the plethora of issues facing pharmacy today, the dialog has moved from conversation to the implementa-tion of a battle plan. This can only be healthy as the messaging must be uni-fied in order for ideas and concepts to become reality. The JCCP vision at-tempts to facilitate the pharmacist as the health care provider designated to manage prescription drug therapy.

Consider this statement published by JCCP in 2004 and presented at the November 7, 2004, meeting of the FPA Executive Committee. Pharmacists will be the health care profession-als responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes. Since that time the FPA has concentrated its efforts in pa-tient care initiatives such as the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Diabetes Man-agement Program and the Florida Med-

BY MIcHAEL JAcksON, RPH

A Health Profession at the Crossroads:Pharmacy in Transition

BY MIcHAEL JAcksON, FPA ExEcUtIvE vIcE PREsIDENt/cEO AND

Michael Jackson

Florida legislators, none of whom

are pharmacists, have come to rely

heavily on the FPA for answers to

pharmacy issues.

J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 7

You don’t drown by falling into water. You drown if you stay there.

Executive Vice President/CEOMichael Jackson

(850) 222-2400, ext. 200Director of Pharmacy Services

Tian Merren, ext. 120Director of Membership

Gillian Nolden. ext. 110Controller

Wanda Hall , ext. 211Pharmacy Services Admin. Asst.

Ranada Simmons , ext. 121Pharmacy Services Office Asst.

Stacey Brooks , ext. 122Communication Services Admin. Asst.

Leroy Smith , ext. 220Receptionist/Meeting Planner

Catherine Walker , ext. 230

FLORIDA PHARMAcY tODAY BOARDChairman ...................Peggyann Zaenger, JacksonvilleVice Chair ....................................Gary Dalin, Delray BeachSecretary/Treasurer ..................................Patsy Powers, Editor Emeritus, TallahasseeMember ................................................Greta Pelegrin, MiamiMember ..................................................... Dick Witas, OdessaMember .................................... Joseph Koptowsky, MiamiExecutive Editor ........Michael Jackson, TallahasseeManaging Editor ........................Dave Fiore, TallahasseeMember .............................Stuart Ulrich, Boynton BeachMember ..................................Stephen Grabowski, Tampa

This is a peer reviewed publication. ©2008, FLORIDA PHARMACY JOURNAL, INC.ARTICLE ACCEPTANCE: The Florida Phar-macy Today is a publication that welcomes articles that have a direct pertinence to the current practice of pharmacy. All articles are subject to review by the Publication Review Committee, editors and other outside referees. Submitted articles are received with the understanding that they are not being considered by another publication. All articles become the property of the Florida Pharmacy Today and may not be published without written permission from both the author and the Florida Pharmacy Today. The Florida Pharmacy Association assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions made by the authors to the Florida Pharmacy Today.

The Journal of the Florida Pharmacy Association does not accept for publication articles or letters concerning religion, politics or any other subject the editors/publishers deem unsuitable for the readership of this journal. In addition, The Journal does not accept advertising material from persons who are running for office in the association. The editors reserve the right to edit all materials submitted for publication. Letters and materials submitted for consideration for publication may be subject to review by the Editorial Review Board. FLORIDA PHARMACY TODAY, Annual sub-scription - United States and foreign, Indi-vidual $36; Institution $70/year; $5.00 single copies. Florida residents add 7% sales tax.

Florida Pharmacy association

610 N. Adams St. • Tallahassee, FL 32301850/222-2400 • FAX 850/561-6758

Web Address: http://www.pharmview.com

FPA STAFF

icaid Quality Related Events project. Our educational programs have been patient-focused and designed to give pharmacists clinical tools to redefine their business practices. FPA’s dialog with the Florida Legislature and health care policy makers continues to empha-size the pharmacist as the medication management resource in this state.

There is considerable work that needs to be done to achieve the 2015 goal of JCCP. Much of the heavy lifting has to be not only working to revise the Flor-ida Pharmacy Practice Act but to also

look inward at our own current busi-ness model to see what makes sense. Dispensing will most likely be a contin-ued part of the pharmacy practice mod-el. Dispensing without consultation will result in a devaluation of the medical relevance of our profession and perhaps facilitate the continued eroding of phar-macy’s reimbursement standards. It all comes down to answering the question; what is the value? To quote Zig Zigler, “You don’t drown by falling into water. You drown if you stay there.” n

JOIN TODAY!

Florida Pharmacy Association

8 | f L O r i d a p h a r m a c Y t O d a Y

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J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 9

Students at LECOM Bradenton’s School of Pharmacy just concluded their first year of classes.

LECOM is a private, not-for-profit in-stitution. LECOM Bradenton’s founding Dean, gary M. Levin, Pharm.D., BCPP, FCCP, has been a Florida licensed phar-macist since 1990. He has experience as a faculty member, clinician and admin-istrator at several colleges of pharmacy in Florida prior to joining LECOM.

In addition to Dean Levin, the ad-ministrative team consists of Sunil Jambhekar, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Depart-

Florida Welcomes New COPLake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy Bradenton Prepares for Second Year

LEcOM Bradenton

the first class and their guests at the white coat ceremony (sponsored by Walgreens)

10 | f L O r i d a p h a r m a c Y t O d a Y

ment; Julie Wilkinson, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate professor and chair of the Pharmacy Practice Department; and Laura Stevenson, Pharm.D., M.S., asso-ciate professor and director of experien-tial education.

LECOM has been very fortunate to stay ahead of the recruitment curve in regard to our five-year hiring plan. The school currently has 15 full-time faculty and staff, as well as an additional num-ber of shared faculty with the College of Osteopathic Medicine. In the next three years, the school plans to have 40 full-

time faculty and staff.LECOM Bradenton is housed in a

state-of-the-art 109,000-square-foot ed-ucation center on a beautifully land-scaped property in the Lakewood Ranch community. The building in-cludes office space for all of our faculty, laboratories for students and faculty re-search, modern lecture halls and small-group classrooms, as well as a learning resource center and student lounge.

In just our first year, the student body has created their own Student govern-ment Association with a student-writ-ten constitution, has charted their first student professional organization, the Academy of Students of Pharmacy (ASP), and is preparing to begin a stu-dent ASHP/FSHP Chapter. As part of one of their courses, Pharmacist Pro-vided Care, they completed a service learning project where they provid-ed nutrition education to elementary-school students in under-served areas of Sarasota County. A funding propos-al for this project has been submitted to expand the project to Manatee County.

The students and the faculty are com-mitted to having a high level of commu-nity service, one of LECOM’s strong be-liefs.

The faculty also has been very active in their first year. While at many new

schools the focus would be only on de-livering a new curriculum, LECOM has begun a strong assessment program from the beginning. Each course is re-viewed and revised by the curriculum committee before it is offered. The facul-ty also has produced a number of pub-lished articles in peer-reviewed jour-nals, and presented posters at several scientific and academic conferences.

LEcOM’s MissionTo prepare students to become osteo-

pathic physicians and pharmacy practi-tioners through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care and community service to enhance the qual-ity of life through improved health for all humanity.

HistoryThe Lake Erie College of Osteopathic

Medicine was established as the nation’s 16th college of osteopathic medicine in December 1992. The charter class began classes in August of 1993.

LECOM administrators saw that new trends in the Doctor of Pharmacy cur-riculum had complementary goals to the total-person, patient-centered care fostered by osteopathic medicine.

Recognizing the growing national need for pharmacists, LECOM opened its School of Pharmacy in 2002. LECOM continued its national leadership role in osteopathic medicine by opening a campus in Bradenton, Fla., in 2004. In 2007, the Bradenton campus opened its School of Pharmacy to an inaugural class of 85 students. This number will increase by approximately 10 students per year to reach the final target num-ber of 120 students per class in the next three years.

LECOM School of Pharmacy has one ACPE accreditation that covers both campuses (Erie, Pa., and Bradenton, Fla.). We have maintained full accredi-tation status since 2005.

This requires constant communica-tion between the two campuses since there are different programs (Erie has a three-year accelerated program, Bra-denton the four-year program). Each

Dr. stevenson works with several students on aseptic technique.

Dean Levin

J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 11

campus has its own dean, department chairs, experiential directors, as well as other director level positions.

Since LECOM is chartered in Penn-sylvania, our regional accreditation is through Middle States Commission on Higher Education; and we are also li-censed by the Florida Commission on Independent Education.

curriculumThe LECOM Bradenton School of

Pharmacy curriculum in Bradenton is a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree pathway. The administration and facul-ty continuously work to enhance learn-ing styles by using interactive teaching techniques.

The curriculum begins with an em-phasis in the basic and pharmaceutical sciences as well as providing an intro-duction to the profession. The second year builds on the pharmaceutical sci-ences while increasing the focus in pharmacy practice, with the third year rounding out the didactic program in the clinical sciences. Advanced Phar-macy Practice Experiences (APPE) is completed in the final year. APPE con-sists of nine rotations, four weeks each, in a variety of community and clini-cal settings. LECOM is committed to maintaining the same rotation dates as the other schools in Florida and work-ing with the preceptors around the state to support the provision of experiential training.

At press time, LECOM’s first group of P2 (second year) students will be start-ing their Introductory Pharmacy Prac-tice Experiences (IPPE) in pharmacies,

clinics and hospitals throughout the state, with the large majority in the Tam-pa Bay region and southwest Florida. LECOM has structured these rotations to be four-week, full-time experienc-es for the students to apply knowledge learned in their first didactic year. The focus is on the operations and distribu-tion systems of the most common types of pharmacy practice with an introduc-tion to direct patient care skills.

Understanding the health care sys-tem will allow the students to focus on the provision of patient care services in their fourth-year APPE rotations.

Job MarketThe opportunities for Doctor of Phar-

macy (Pharm.D.) graduates are endless. Pharmacists are currently working as generalists and specialists in commu-nity pharmacies, government agencies, hospice and home health care, hospi-tal and institutional settings, indepen-dent ownership, long-term care facili-ties, consulting, managed care, medical and scientific publishing, drug informa-tion and research in the pharmaceutical industry, professional associations, uni-formed service (public health and mil-itary), and academics, among others. During a recent visit last fall, a guest from APhA stated there are currently

several P1 students and their elementary class during service learning nutrition program.

students and faculty at orientation team building program (sponsored by cvs).

12 | f L O r i d a p h a r m a c Y t O d a Y

over 70 unique careers within pharma-cy.

Additionally, beginning salaries in each of these areas are well above the national salary means for graduates in general, and with a well document-ed long-term shortage of pharmacists ahead of us, salaries are very competi-tive.

Our philosophy at LECOM is “Car-ing for people will be their life mission; Teaching them how is ours.” LECOM also is committed to “growing to meet the nation’s need for health care pro-fessionals.” It is expected that LECOM also will develop residency programs in time for our first class of graduates in 2011.

For more information about LECOM School of Pharmacy in Bradenton, please call (941) 756-0690 or visit us on the web at www.lecom.edu.

keynote speaker, FsHP President tina gegeckas addressing students and guests at our first white coat

ceremony.

are you “in the Loop?”

statnews is a member service of the Florida Pharmacy Association. For membership information, contact gnolden@pharmview.com or call 850-222-2400 and ask for Gillian.

Don’t miss the next issue of the all-new StatNews, the FPA’s official e-mail newsletter.

Open it. Read it. Know it.

J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 13

A PhArmAcist And A LAwyer

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Mergers and AcquisitionsCommercial, Civil and Criminal Litigation

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Pharmacist AttorneyBrian A. Kahan, R.Ph., J.D.

Licensed Florida Pharmacist and Attorney

STATEWIDE REPRESENTATION

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The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

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Beijing–bound Olympic travelers should worry less about exotic diseases, and instead focus on preventing more mundane health problems like respira-tory illness and dog bites. A new study by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the geo-Sentinel Surveillance Network found that, during the past 10 years, dog bites were actually one of the more common health problems travelers face when vis-iting China. Other common ailments were respiratory infections, skin prob-lems, injuries, and diarrhea.

With an estimated 600,000 foreign visitors and athletes, and as many as 2 million Chinese attendees, expected at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing in August, the study provides key infor-mation that can help people plan their visits and protect their health.

The paper, published online June 26, 2008, in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, used 1998-2007 data gathered by the geoSen-tinel Surveillance Network and ana-lyzed by geoSentinel and CDC experts to assess illnesses among the 2,500 trav-elers to China that were in the database. The geoSentinel Network was founded by the CDC and the International Soci-ety of Travel Medicine and is made up of 41 travel medicine clinics worldwide that provide traveler care and track trav-el-related health data.

“Many international travelers wor-ry about exotic diseases. They prob-ably don’t think about injuries or dog bites, but the study found that travelers to China sought treatment for these ail-ments more often,” said Dr. Nina Mara-no, chief of the CDC’s Travelers’ Health and Animal Importation Branch. “Trav-elers need to be cautious about dog bites, as China has the second highest rate of human rabies cases in the world.”

Respiratory illness-es, such as asthma and bronchitis, were the most common diagno-ses for travelers seek-ing medical care while in China, and the pri-mary cause of hospital-ization for travelers in China. Acute diarrhea and dog bites were the most frequent ailments for travelers receiv-ing post-travel medi-cal care. Travelers also complained of injuries, like sprains and strains. Rates of tropical and parasitic disease were low: there were no reported cases of malaria or dengue fever among travelers in this study

“We hope travelers take this informa-tion and use it to prepare themselves for a healthy trip,” said Dr. Marano. “Us-ing common sense while in Beijing can also help keep you healthy. Wash your hands, watch your step, and don’t pet stray dogs.”

Travel health experts at CDC say that travelers can help reduce their risk of becoming ill or injured by taking the following precautions:

Visit a travel medicine clinic four n

to six weeks prior to leaving to get travel advice. Ensure all vaccinations are up-to- n

date. Wash hands or use hand sanitiz- n

ers frequently to help prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal illness. Avoid all animals while in China. If n

bitten, wash all bite wounds prompt-ly and seek reliable medical care im-mediately. Wear comfortable walking shoes n

and pay special attention when crossing the street and boarding public transportation to minimize injury risk. Eat only fully cooked food that is n

served hot or fruits and vegetables you can wash and peel yourself to decrease the risk of diarrhea. For more CDC recommendations for

Olympic travelers, athletes and health-care providers, please visit http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentOlym-pics2008.aspx. For general recommen-dations for travel to China, see http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationChi-na.aspx. To view the full article, please visit http://www.ajtmh.org/.

Respiratory Illness, Dog Bites Among Top Concerns For Travelers to ChinaStudy Provides Insight to Help Olympics Travelers Prepare for Trip

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Email/Fax Network HotlineReceive up-to-date and up-to-the-min-ute information on Legislative Develop-ments, Board of Pharmacy changes and other topics affecting the profession of pharmacy. Call FPA Member Services at (850) 222-2400 ext. 110 – gnolden@ pharmview.com.

tax ResourceProvides defense and protection of your assets when you are audited. Tax Resource will defend their clients for any income tax audit, Federal or State, for any tax year. Tax Resource pio-neered the tax audit service business, and is the largest audit defense firm in the United States. Call (800) 92-AUDIT (800-922-8348).

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Other Member Benefits n Discounted Continuing Education

Programsn Monthly Issues of the Florida Phar-

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Pharmacy Resource Materials FPA provides the most recent and rele-vant resources necessary to meet your pharmacy’s law and regulation needs. This includes the Florida Pharmacy Law & Information Manual, Continuous Qual-ity Improvement Manual, Controlled Sub-stance Inventory Booklets and Pharmacy Signs. Please call FPA Members Servic-es for more information: 850-222-2400 ext. 110.

FPA Website Visit our FPA Website at ww.pharmview.com. The site, launched in December 2004, includes a members only section. The website offers a secure server so that you can registers for CE programs, renew your membership or purchase resources materials with your credit card.

in keeping with a tradition of offering our members real benefits, the Florida Pharmacy association (FPa) is proud to announce the introduction of sponsored discount Benefits Program. these vendors are dedicated to providing an excellent value to all FPa members and associates. to take advantage of benefits contact the vendors directly at the numbers listed below and identify yourself as a FPa member and have your membership id number handy.

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J U N e 2 0 0 8 | 17

Rotavirus activity in the ongoing 2007-2008 season appears to have start-ed later than usual and has been less se-vere than during any of the previous seasons for which data are available, ac-cording to an interim report issued in the early release edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Re-port (MMWR).

Rotavirus is the leading cause of se-vere gastroenteritis (vomiting and diar-rhea) in infants and young children, an-nually causing about 410,000 physician office visits, 205,000-272,000 emergency department visits, 55,000-70,000 hospital-izations, and between 20 and 60 deaths among US children less than 5 years of age. Worldwide, rotavirus causes approx-imately 1,600 deaths each day among children less than 5 years of age.

Data from around the United States indicate that during the ongoing sea-son, rotavirus activity was delayed by about three months compared with the start time for the previous 15 years. The season began at the end of February in-stead of November, the usual start time, and the season peaked at the end of April instead of March, the usual peak time.

Hospitalizations, emergency depart-ment visits, and physician visits were also substantially reduced at medical centers conducting prospective rotavi-rus surveillance. The number of labora-tory tests performed for rotavirus from Jan. 1 to May 3, 2008, was 37 percent lower than usual, and the percent of all tests conducted for gastroenteritis that were positive for rotavirus was 79 per-cent lower than usual.

The report indicates that marked changes in rotavirus activity may be due to a newly introduced rotavirus vaccine for infants. In 2006, a new ro-tavirus vaccine, RotaTeq (Merck & Co. Inc.), was recommended for routine im-munization of U.S. infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Clinical trial results in-dicated that this live, oral vaccine pre-vented 74 percent of all rotavirus cas-es, about 98 percent of severe cases, and about 96 percent of hospitaliza-tions due to rotavirus. “The changes ap-pear to be greater than expected based

on the protective effects of the vaccine alone,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immuniza-tion and Respiratory Diseases at CDC. “It is also possible that current levels of vaccination may be helping to decrease the spread of rotavirus to unvaccinat-ed individuals in the community. On-going monitoring is needed to confirm the impact of vaccination this year and to monitor the impact of the vaccine on rotavirus disease and its epidemiology over time.”

The data used in the new report were obtained from the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) and from the New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN). NREVSS is a voluntary network of U.S. laborato-ries that provide CDC with weekly re-ports of the number of tests performed and positive results obtained for a vari-ety of pathogens, including rotavirus.

Rotavirus is highly contagious. Large amounts of the virus are shed in the stool of infected persons and can be spread by contaminated hands and objects. Children can spread rotavirus both before and after they become sick with diarrhea, and they can pass the vi-rus to household members and other close contacts.

The interim report can be found on-line at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr. Ad-ditional information about rotavirus vaccine is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus/de-fault.htm.

Fewer Kids Suffering from Rotavirus This SeasonCredit May Go to Newly Introduced Infant Vaccine

Worldwide, rotavirus causes approximately 1,600 deaths each day among children less than 5 years of age.

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Advertising in Florida Pharmacy todayDisplay Advertising: please call (850) 264-5111 for a media kit and rate sheet. Buyers’ guide: A signed insertion of at least 3X per year, 1/3 page or larger display ad, earns a placement in the Buyers’ Guide. A screened ad is furnished at additional cost to the advertiser. Professional Referral Ads: FPA Members: $50 per 50 words; Non-members: $100 per 50 words; No discounts for advertising agencies. All Professional Referral ads must be paid in advance, at the time of ad receipt.

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HMRC units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers-medical professionals and others-who want to donate their time and expertise to augment public health activities throughout the year and to prepare for and respond to emergencies. MRC volunteers become part of a system to supplement existing local emergency and public health resources.

MRC volunteers include health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, and epidemiologists. Other community members such as interpreters, chaplains, office workers, and legal advisors can fill other vital support positions.

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