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A New Beginning
A New Beginning Address by JOHN F. SCHLEGEL, President
T
en months ago I spoke to this House from the floor; today I address you from the podium as your President. How things have changed in this relatively short period of time! If there is any doubt about the strength and resilience of APhA, let the doubters reflect on the past year. Shortly over one year ago we lost a friend and remarkable individual who led APhA for 25 years. Immediately, the Board of Trust-
ees installed an interim President and in less than four months a nationwide search was completed and a new President selected. In less than an additional two months the new man was residing at 2215 Constitution Avenue, and for the next nine months our profession has been reading of staff changes, new programs, initiatives and cooperative ventures with other pharmacy associations, and a renewed outreach program with state pharmacy associations, the pharmaceutical industry and other organizations in our profession. Throughout these several months, we have also reported to you regarding our major commitment to strategic planning. These remarkable achievements pain t a picture of an organization with tremendous internal strength and membership support I am proud to stand before you
John F. Schlegel, PharmD, MSEd, is President of APhA. He delivered this speech to the final session of the APhA House of Delegates in San Antonio, February 21, 1985. 46
today with my first State of the Association message and attest to the strength of your Association. We shall draw upon this strength to increase APhA's ability to serve its members by addressing today's problems, .as well as assure pharmacy's place in the rapidly changing world of health care and health economics.
An Atmosphere of Trust
I
t often has been said that the APhA House of Delegates is the most influential deliberative body in American pharmacy. Certainly, the credentials and professional positions that you hold demonstrate immediately the diversity of professional roles that characterize
pharmacy. The cream of the profession's leadership is represented here today. To fulfill my plans and expectations for APhA, I must be able to discuss directly with you where I think we should be heading and what progress we are making toward our goals. To accomplish this, I will remind you of my opening comments to the House last year, that we must operate in an atmosphere of trust. There is remarkable energy and potential in our House of Delegates. Together we must find ways in 'which this potential can be used to its maximum in advancing the interest of APhAand the profession.
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No. 5, May 1985/302
Together we must see that we do not become diverted from this primary role by individuals or incidents that would cause the Association to consume its limited resources by infighting and divisiveness. This requires confidence and mutual respect. You have my pledge to recognize the value of this deliberative body and to do all that I can to maximize its impact on the profession.
Productive Directions s you know, I was not a newA comer to Washington or pharmacy organizational affairs vrhen
I
the opportunity to serve APhA was offered to me. For nearly ten years I had a close-at-hand opportunity to observe APhA in Washington, to observe its staff, to work with members of its Board, and to engage in dialogue with many of the other organizations with which APhA has maintained a relationship. When I came aboard last June, I had already initiated conversations with a number of people and organizations about my ideas and their ideas regarding the Association and its future. Whether it was from the Board, from the staff, from other organizations, or from individual members, I received the clear message that much had to be done to keep the Association moving in productive directions. All with whom I spoke were concerned about how rapidly the future was closing in on pharmacy and how critical it was that APhA begin to help develop a strategic plan for the profession. But it was in these discussions that I also began to appreciate that the potential basis for our strength, that is the great diversity ! within our profession, could tear us apart. I shall call this the "OPEC effect" -how much will individuals or groups of people with similar but not always the same interests be willing to moderate their own desires in the interest of the whole organization or profession?
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/303
b
The 'Foundation Organization'
M
any of you are already aware from the pharmacy press that I see APhA's future in its serving as a "foundation organization" in American pharmacy. This is what I have in mind when I use that phrase. APhA must serve the profession of pharmacy and it must earn the support of all pharmacists. It must do so by performing functions and by pursuing activities that serve the interest of all pharmacists in professional and economic terms. We shall assert strong leadership, but a style of leadership that listens and relies on its members
'APhA's primary responsibility is to work on behalf of all pharmacists and-at the same time-support the work of colleague organizations.' as to what actions should be taken on behalf of pharmacy. What APhA can and must do is devote its efforts to the development and maintenance of a professional and economic climate in which individual pharmacists are free to choose and further their own professional destinies. APhA's primary responsibility is to work on behalf of the broad interest of all pharmacists and-at the same time-support the work of colleague organizations which represent more specialized interests of pharmacists. Earlier I spoke of the need for trust, and this is necessary on the national scene as well. APhA demonstrated true leadership by submerging political conflict in the calm waters of organizational cooperation. The theme of this Annual Meeting, "Building Bridges," was developed with careful thought and with the intention that it underscore the Association's new leader-
ship thrust and style. And it seems to be working! Now we need your support to work positively together. We must tolerate honest differences of opinion without losing sight of our common purpose. We must tolerate honest disagreement without losing sight of our common goals. Pharmacy must be out to win the war, not consume its energies with internal battles. As a foundation organization, I see APhA at the base, not the top of organized pharmacy. This is a place where APhA can be an organization on which the aspirations of the profession as a whole, as well as those of special interests within pharmacy, can be built. As such, we can then perform three essential functions. The first is to serve as the meeting place for the many varied professional interests of pharmacists and their representative organizations. Within this framework, we can strive for consensus in a manner the profession has not achieved in recent history. The second function is to serve as the point of contact for those outside of pharmacy who wish to establish and maintain a wide variety of relationships with pharmacy as a health profession. The third function is to assist and enhance the efforts of pharmacy's special interests and their representative organizations to carry out their respective missions.
A Complex Organization o redirect and focus our reT sources effectively, it is necessary that we understand all that we are and all that others feel about us. The first phase of our major commitment to strategic planning has helped us to do that. APhA is a far more complex organization than most people understand. We are not monolithic in purpose or structure. I learned early on that I was less the chief executive officer of a single organization and more the chief executive officer of a holding company with seven more or less separate entities.
47
Changing Times
P
APhA has three subdivisions tha t function as small associations in and of themselves; another subdivision is in the making; two insurance programs that have their own governing boards; and a foundation with its own governing board. This type of complexity made it clear that the first phase of our strategic planning must be introspective. How could we begin to deal effectively with tremendously changing external forces when a singleness of purpose does not even exist within our own house? If APhA is to be a shock absorber, a means of taking the bumps in the road as pharmacy drives forward into the 21st century, then we must make certain that our vehicle is in good order. We will, in addition, address external factors fully, and I am sure to your satisfaction.
Strategic Planning
L
ast year the House of Delegates called on the Association to get on with the business of strategic planning. Rather than await this House meeting, we have been reporting to the entire membership on a regular basis regarding our progress in these planning activities. Just two weeks ago the Board of Trustees was briefed on the first phase of the work of our consultants. The first phase provides the information base about APhA I spoke of earlier. It is most important that the
48
Delegates and members understand that APhA is not engaged in "top down" planning. To assure that no stone was left unturned, the consultants met with the Board of Trustees, all senior staff, the executive officers of the affiliated state pharmacy associations, the
'APhA's leadership must have sufficient respect inside and outside pharmacy to convene meetings of important people to hammer out tough issues.' leadership of the Academy of Pharmacy Practice, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Student APhA, and the heads of all Washington-based pharmacyrelated associations. In addition, the consultants sent inquiries to all living past Presidents and Board Chairmen of APhA. In short, we have delved broadly and deeply into the history, current activities, and current organizational standing of APhA. With this base of information, we are already in the process of establishing an effective mechanism for determining the programs and activities on which APhA should focus its attention, and how best to organize APhA to achieve maximum effectiveness.
harmacy, along with other participants in the nation's health care system, faces numerous external forces that have the desire to control and, ultimately, the power to destroy. Economics, changing social and political philosophies, changing population demographics, and a multitude of other winds blowing against the status quo are having-and will continue to have-an enormous impact on our profession and its future. The foundation we have built at APhA over the past nine months is preparing us well to play an essential role for the profession during these changing times. Dr. Eli Ginsberg, a noted thinker regarding health care economics and an Annual Meeting speaker a couple of years ago, has observed that "the more complex the world becomes, the greater the - ~essure on leaders, academicians"a.nd analysts to develop simplified ·models to communicate." There are no simple solutions! The delivery of health care and the economics of health care are-and will continue to be-in turmoil for several years to come. This will be played against the backdrop of national political preoccupation with controlling Federal spending and reducing the Federal deficit. In short, we face a nearly chaotic situation. This requires a new type of national leadership. The old days of making gains through raw political power are behind us. Little, if anything, can be accomplished today by threats or even force of numbers. Today in Washington, "access," "reasoning together," and "rational compromise" are the ways to get things done. Results are achieved through the validity of the argument and the effectiveness of influence-not sheer pbwer. Therefore, APhA's new leadership must also have sufficient respect inside and outside pharmacy to convene meetings of important people to hammer out tough issues. The concept of a foundation organization provides the philo-
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/304
sophical construct in which to do this.
APhA's PAC
E
arlier in the week you heard from Chairman Main and Speaker Anderson about APhA's new Political Action Committee. Our ability to deliver pharmacy's message should be greatly enhanced by formation of the APhA PAC. This is one method for improving access. But once the doors have been opened, we must enjoy the credibility and respect of those with whom we speak. This is accomplished by developing wellthought-out information and strategies for coping with an everchanging health care arena. Recent reorganization of the Association's staff and the addition of new key personnel will help assure that APhA remains credible. These changes will also help to utilize the House of Delegates more effectively in identifying and debating critical issues and developing strategies in areas where our influence can really make a difference.
A Plan and a Strategy
T
he central thought I wish to leave you with today is that the future of APhA and its activities are not go'i ng to be left to chance or be the product of defensive reaction. We are going to proceed with a plan and a strategy designed to bring the plan to frui-
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/305
7
'Our ability to deliver pharmacy's message should be greatly enhanced by the formation of the APhA PAC. This is one method of improving access.' tion. In doing so, we will capitalize on our own strengths while seeking to enhance the strengths of our colleague organizations in pharmacy. APhA is going to focus on issues that can be expected to have a substantial influence on the future of the profession. The Association will continue to devote itself to the solution of near-term problems, such as improving the relationship of pharmacists with thirdparty payment programs. It will also exercise the ability to communicate to policymakers and the public on the value and benefit of our professional services. We will dramatize the role of these services and medications in alleviating disease and improving the health of the American people. This is a big world we live in. The world of health care alone and even the pharmacy world within the health care system are large and challenging enough for more than one guardian of pharmacists' interests.
We do not need just one representative organization. What we do need is for all pharmacy organizations to have just one purpose. That purpose is the greater stature and prosperity of pharmacy as a profession. We must work together for the maximum opportunity to apply our education and training for the public good. Doing so, we most certainly will see the kind of results that pharmacists desire and the nation deserves.
Making a Commitment
I
n 1986, in San Francisco, this House of Delegates will again convene. I am looking forward to reporting on the great progress we will have made in the next 13 months. In the meantime, I ask that each of you make the following commitment. Follow what is happening, keep in touch with the staff and elected officers of the Association, and let your colleagues know that APhA is strong and reoriented. We are building bridges to and for the future. We are building bridges within the profession and -to the health care system. Every bridge must be supported by a strong foundation structure. We intend to make APhA that kind of base for pharmacy and its represen ta tive organizations. You and your fellow pharmacists are the foundation upon which APhA itself must stand. If we invest together~ we will share together in a bright future. 0
49
T
en months ago I spoke to this House from the floor; today I address you from the podium as your President. How things have changed in this relatively short period of time! If there is any doubt about the strength and resilience of APhA, let the doubters reflect on the past year. Shortly over one year ago we lost a friend and remarkable individual who led APhA for 25 years. Immediately, the Board of Trust-
ees installed an interim President and in less than four months a nationwide search was completed and a new President selected. In less than an additional two months the new man was residing at 2215 Constitution Avenue, and for the next nine months our profession has been reading of staff changes, new programs, initiatives and cooperative ventures with other pharmacy associations, and a renewed outreach program with state pharmacy associations, the pharmaceutical industry and other organizations in our profession. Throughout these several months, we have also reported to you regarding our major commitment to strategic planning. These remarkable achievements pain t a picture of an organization with tremendous internal strength and membership support I am proud to stand before you
John F. Schlegel, PharmD, MSEd, is President of APhA. He delivered this speech to the final session of the APhA House of Delegates in San Antonio, February 21, 1985. 46
today with my first State of the Association message and attest to the strength of your Association. We shall draw upon this strength to increase APhA's ability to serve its members by addressing today's problems, .as well as assure pharmacy's place in the rapidly changing world of health care and health economics.
An Atmosphere of Trust
I
t often has been said that the APhA House of Delegates is the most influential deliberative body in American pharmacy. Certainly, the credentials and professional positions that you hold demonstrate immediately the diversity of professional roles that characterize
pharmacy. The cream of the profession's leadership is represented here today. To fulfill my plans and expectations for APhA, I must be able to discuss directly with you where I think we should be heading and what progress we are making toward our goals. To accomplish this, I will remind you of my opening comments to the House last year, that we must operate in an atmosphere of trust. There is remarkable energy and potential in our House of Delegates. Together we must find ways in 'which this potential can be used to its maximum in advancing the interest of APhAand the profession.
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No. 5, May 1985/302
Together we must see that we do not become diverted from this primary role by individuals or incidents that would cause the Association to consume its limited resources by infighting and divisiveness. This requires confidence and mutual respect. You have my pledge to recognize the value of this deliberative body and to do all that I can to maximize its impact on the profession.
Productive Directions s you know, I was not a newA comer to Washington or pharmacy organizational affairs vrhen
I
the opportunity to serve APhA was offered to me. For nearly ten years I had a close-at-hand opportunity to observe APhA in Washington, to observe its staff, to work with members of its Board, and to engage in dialogue with many of the other organizations with which APhA has maintained a relationship. When I came aboard last June, I had already initiated conversations with a number of people and organizations about my ideas and their ideas regarding the Association and its future. Whether it was from the Board, from the staff, from other organizations, or from individual members, I received the clear message that much had to be done to keep the Association moving in productive directions. All with whom I spoke were concerned about how rapidly the future was closing in on pharmacy and how critical it was that APhA begin to help develop a strategic plan for the profession. But it was in these discussions that I also began to appreciate that the potential basis for our strength, that is the great diversity ! within our profession, could tear us apart. I shall call this the "OPEC effect" -how much will individuals or groups of people with similar but not always the same interests be willing to moderate their own desires in the interest of the whole organization or profession?
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/303
b
The 'Foundation Organization'
M
any of you are already aware from the pharmacy press that I see APhA's future in its serving as a "foundation organization" in American pharmacy. This is what I have in mind when I use that phrase. APhA must serve the profession of pharmacy and it must earn the support of all pharmacists. It must do so by performing functions and by pursuing activities that serve the interest of all pharmacists in professional and economic terms. We shall assert strong leadership, but a style of leadership that listens and relies on its members
'APhA's primary responsibility is to work on behalf of all pharmacists and-at the same time-support the work of colleague organizations.' as to what actions should be taken on behalf of pharmacy. What APhA can and must do is devote its efforts to the development and maintenance of a professional and economic climate in which individual pharmacists are free to choose and further their own professional destinies. APhA's primary responsibility is to work on behalf of the broad interest of all pharmacists and-at the same time-support the work of colleague organizations which represent more specialized interests of pharmacists. Earlier I spoke of the need for trust, and this is necessary on the national scene as well. APhA demonstrated true leadership by submerging political conflict in the calm waters of organizational cooperation. The theme of this Annual Meeting, "Building Bridges," was developed with careful thought and with the intention that it underscore the Association's new leader-
ship thrust and style. And it seems to be working! Now we need your support to work positively together. We must tolerate honest differences of opinion without losing sight of our common purpose. We must tolerate honest disagreement without losing sight of our common goals. Pharmacy must be out to win the war, not consume its energies with internal battles. As a foundation organization, I see APhA at the base, not the top of organized pharmacy. This is a place where APhA can be an organization on which the aspirations of the profession as a whole, as well as those of special interests within pharmacy, can be built. As such, we can then perform three essential functions. The first is to serve as the meeting place for the many varied professional interests of pharmacists and their representative organizations. Within this framework, we can strive for consensus in a manner the profession has not achieved in recent history. The second function is to serve as the point of contact for those outside of pharmacy who wish to establish and maintain a wide variety of relationships with pharmacy as a health profession. The third function is to assist and enhance the efforts of pharmacy's special interests and their representative organizations to carry out their respective missions.
A Complex Organization o redirect and focus our reT sources effectively, it is necessary that we understand all that we are and all that others feel about us. The first phase of our major commitment to strategic planning has helped us to do that. APhA is a far more complex organization than most people understand. We are not monolithic in purpose or structure. I learned early on that I was less the chief executive officer of a single organization and more the chief executive officer of a holding company with seven more or less separate entities.
47
Changing Times
P
APhA has three subdivisions tha t function as small associations in and of themselves; another subdivision is in the making; two insurance programs that have their own governing boards; and a foundation with its own governing board. This type of complexity made it clear that the first phase of our strategic planning must be introspective. How could we begin to deal effectively with tremendously changing external forces when a singleness of purpose does not even exist within our own house? If APhA is to be a shock absorber, a means of taking the bumps in the road as pharmacy drives forward into the 21st century, then we must make certain that our vehicle is in good order. We will, in addition, address external factors fully, and I am sure to your satisfaction.
Strategic Planning
L
ast year the House of Delegates called on the Association to get on with the business of strategic planning. Rather than await this House meeting, we have been reporting to the entire membership on a regular basis regarding our progress in these planning activities. Just two weeks ago the Board of Trustees was briefed on the first phase of the work of our consultants. The first phase provides the information base about APhA I spoke of earlier. It is most important that the
48
Delegates and members understand that APhA is not engaged in "top down" planning. To assure that no stone was left unturned, the consultants met with the Board of Trustees, all senior staff, the executive officers of the affiliated state pharmacy associations, the
'APhA's leadership must have sufficient respect inside and outside pharmacy to convene meetings of important people to hammer out tough issues.' leadership of the Academy of Pharmacy Practice, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Student APhA, and the heads of all Washington-based pharmacyrelated associations. In addition, the consultants sent inquiries to all living past Presidents and Board Chairmen of APhA. In short, we have delved broadly and deeply into the history, current activities, and current organizational standing of APhA. With this base of information, we are already in the process of establishing an effective mechanism for determining the programs and activities on which APhA should focus its attention, and how best to organize APhA to achieve maximum effectiveness.
harmacy, along with other participants in the nation's health care system, faces numerous external forces that have the desire to control and, ultimately, the power to destroy. Economics, changing social and political philosophies, changing population demographics, and a multitude of other winds blowing against the status quo are having-and will continue to have-an enormous impact on our profession and its future. The foundation we have built at APhA over the past nine months is preparing us well to play an essential role for the profession during these changing times. Dr. Eli Ginsberg, a noted thinker regarding health care economics and an Annual Meeting speaker a couple of years ago, has observed that "the more complex the world becomes, the greater the - ~essure on leaders, academicians"a.nd analysts to develop simplified ·models to communicate." There are no simple solutions! The delivery of health care and the economics of health care are-and will continue to be-in turmoil for several years to come. This will be played against the backdrop of national political preoccupation with controlling Federal spending and reducing the Federal deficit. In short, we face a nearly chaotic situation. This requires a new type of national leadership. The old days of making gains through raw political power are behind us. Little, if anything, can be accomplished today by threats or even force of numbers. Today in Washington, "access," "reasoning together," and "rational compromise" are the ways to get things done. Results are achieved through the validity of the argument and the effectiveness of influence-not sheer pbwer. Therefore, APhA's new leadership must also have sufficient respect inside and outside pharmacy to convene meetings of important people to hammer out tough issues. The concept of a foundation organization provides the philo-
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/304
sophical construct in which to do this.
APhA's PAC
E
arlier in the week you heard from Chairman Main and Speaker Anderson about APhA's new Political Action Committee. Our ability to deliver pharmacy's message should be greatly enhanced by formation of the APhA PAC. This is one method for improving access. But once the doors have been opened, we must enjoy the credibility and respect of those with whom we speak. This is accomplished by developing wellthought-out information and strategies for coping with an everchanging health care arena. Recent reorganization of the Association's staff and the addition of new key personnel will help assure that APhA remains credible. These changes will also help to utilize the House of Delegates more effectively in identifying and debating critical issues and developing strategies in areas where our influence can really make a difference.
A Plan and a Strategy
T
he central thought I wish to leave you with today is that the future of APhA and its activities are not go'i ng to be left to chance or be the product of defensive reaction. We are going to proceed with a plan and a strategy designed to bring the plan to frui-
American Pharmacy Vol. NS25, No.5, May 1985/305
7
'Our ability to deliver pharmacy's message should be greatly enhanced by the formation of the APhA PAC. This is one method of improving access.' tion. In doing so, we will capitalize on our own strengths while seeking to enhance the strengths of our colleague organizations in pharmacy. APhA is going to focus on issues that can be expected to have a substantial influence on the future of the profession. The Association will continue to devote itself to the solution of near-term problems, such as improving the relationship of pharmacists with thirdparty payment programs. It will also exercise the ability to communicate to policymakers and the public on the value and benefit of our professional services. We will dramatize the role of these services and medications in alleviating disease and improving the health of the American people. This is a big world we live in. The world of health care alone and even the pharmacy world within the health care system are large and challenging enough for more than one guardian of pharmacists' interests.
We do not need just one representative organization. What we do need is for all pharmacy organizations to have just one purpose. That purpose is the greater stature and prosperity of pharmacy as a profession. We must work together for the maximum opportunity to apply our education and training for the public good. Doing so, we most certainly will see the kind of results that pharmacists desire and the nation deserves.
Making a Commitment
I
n 1986, in San Francisco, this House of Delegates will again convene. I am looking forward to reporting on the great progress we will have made in the next 13 months. In the meantime, I ask that each of you make the following commitment. Follow what is happening, keep in touch with the staff and elected officers of the Association, and let your colleagues know that APhA is strong and reoriented. We are building bridges to and for the future. We are building bridges within the profession and -to the health care system. Every bridge must be supported by a strong foundation structure. We intend to make APhA that kind of base for pharmacy and its represen ta tive organizations. You and your fellow pharmacists are the foundation upon which APhA itself must stand. If we invest together~ we will share together in a bright future. 0
49