Dear Colleague,
Last year, the Zoom app was downloaded 485 million times, and 3.3 trillion minutes were spent in Zoom meetings this year, not to mention other platforms such as Teams and Skype (remember Skype?). For kids ages 6 to 8, myopia was up 1.4 to 3 times in 2020 from all the pandemic-induced screen time. A Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds significantly more people reporting trouble sleeping or eating, more alcohol consumption, and other problems. Isolation and lack of in-person connection has been necessary at times because of the pandemic but is not without its consequences.
Fortunately, the COVID-19 vaccines (and the tens of thousands of pharmacists and other health care colleagues who administered them) have opened the door to spending a little less time on screens and more time interacting with people. I have heard from countless NCPA members with heartwarming stories of patients filled with gratitude that they could finally see their family members and friends after getting vaccinated at their community pharmacy.
NCPA's 2021 Annual Convention is next month in Charlotte and the theme is Leveraging the Disruption. We all know the challenges of the last 18 months, but this meeting is focused on the green shoots that have sprung up from all the… disruption. The NCPA Board and my team are excited to give pharmacy owners and their industry supporters the opportunity to reactivate connections that have been on hiatus for the past 18 months and make new connections with some of the most successful pharmacists in the country and pharmacy partners whose success is tied to yours. And due to this success, we are hosting a "Hero's Welcome" opening reception on Saturday night, Oct. 9. It is our way of acknowledging all of your hard work during the pandemic, and we thought no better way than to theme the reception appropriately for all of our members who have been heroes!
We realize that many of our members and their teams are busy in October administering COVID-19 and flu shots, so some of the sessions at the NCPA Annual Convention will be perfect for creating more operational efficiencies and sharing information about new business opportunities top pharmacy owners from around the country are doing. Not just in theory. Doing.
Here are just a few examples of the types of programs to help pharmacy owners prosper with the changes during the pandemic:
The elephant in the room, of course, is having a meeting while some states are seeing sharp increases in COVID cases — particularly among the unvaccinated. NCPA's No. 1 objective is the safety of our attendees and our staff. We strongly encourage everyone attending to be vaccinated. Period. We aren't going to make people show their vaccine cards at the door for a variety of reasons, but if you're choosing not to be vaccinated, I strongly encourage you to reconsider that choice and get vaccinated.
We've been in constant contact with the Charlotte Convention Center. They are taking both common-sense steps (increased cleaning frequency, hand sanitizer stations, etc.) as well as high-tech steps (needlepoint bipolar ionization air purification technologies in the HVAC). North Carolina requires masks while in the Convention Center and hotels. And, of course, NCPA continues to keep a close eye and will reevaluate as needed to comply with CDC, state, and local guidance.
The pandemic caused people to be apart. The vaccinations have empowered us to come back together. Zoom and other video platforms have been useful, but they can't replace a human connection. NCPA looks forward to seeing you in Charlotte!
Best,
B. Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist, MBA
NCPA CEO
