Put out pharmacy welcome mat, urges NACDS

One of the most effective tools pharmacists have to influence the political process is their own pharmacy, but only if they put out the welcome mat for movers and shakers to see firsthand how policies impact their business and their patients. To help owners get legislators and their staffers through the door, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores has developed a toolkit to facilitate such visits.

The toolkit includes a sample invitation letter to send to U.S. Congressmen or state representatives, a pharmacy visit checklist, a press release announcing the visit, and a follow-up thank you letter to the legislator. The checklist includes taking the visitors through the dispensing process while playing up the value of the R.Ph. and talking about how federal or state policies impact the pharmacy.

"Once people see what happens on the other side of the counter, the discussions are a lot more productive," said Craig Fuller, NACDS president-CEO.