Here's a month-long celebration we can get behind!
Every October since 1925, we take the time to celebrate you - pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy directors, and all pharmacy staff - for your integral role in our lives and our health. Pharmacists are critical in the healthcare system as the general public relies on pharmacists in their everyday lives for routine medical advice, vaccines, and medications and in those more challenging times when hospital care is needed. Their skill and knowledge can be the difference between life and death.
The birth of the U.S. pharmacy can be traced to 1729, when Irish immigrant Christopher Marshall opened one of the first apothecaries in Philadelphia. For 96 years, the Marshall Apothecary served as a community pharmacy and a school for future pharmacists. Christopher's granddaughter Elizabeth took over the pharmacy in 1805 and became the second female pharmacist in the U.S.
It wasn't until 1821 that the first American pharmacy school, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, opened, and 30 years later, in 1852, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) was founded as the first professional organization dedicated to pharmacy.
Pharmacists are responsible for making healthcare more accessible. In fact, according to the APhA, approximately 90% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a pharmacy.
While they are primarily known for dispensing medications vital to many people's lives, they also are responsible for educating patients on medication safety and ensuring that drugs do not react negatively to each other. In short, patients rely on pharmacists to ensure that prescribed medications will not cause harm.
Pharmacists also provide essential medical guidance, which was no more evident than during the pandemic. They served the public, continuing to provide the medications needed as the world shut down around them and at risk to their health. In addition to their regular duties, pharmacists also scheduled and administered countless covid tests. Once the covid vaccines were available, pharmacists became an essential resource for vaccine education and administration.
Since the inception of the pharmacy, pharmacists have served as a cornerstone of the health system of the day. As times change, pharmacists innovate and step up to meet the needs of their patients. At Rpharmy, we know this all too well. Not only do we employ pharmacists, but our passion is to support pharmacists as they work tirelessly to dispense medication, provide medical advice and support and improve the health of their communities.
We are grateful to you, pharmacists, and all pharmacy staff.
