Pharmacy Day on the Capitl here in Arizona is coming up on Wednesday, January 25th. The main goal of this day is to give the profession of pharmacy a presence before those individuals who have influence in decisions made in the direction of our state.
It is a good idea to know who your legislators are prior to going to this event, since, it might be good to A) let them know you are coming and B) look for them there and let them know you are a voting member in their district and the issues you feel are most pressing to you (hopefully pharmacy has something to do with those issues).
If you heard last year, due to the US census data that came out, Arizona needs to redistrict the areas from where representatives are elected. There also was some not-so-nice political moves done to influence the outcome (more info. here and here), and the process is still being completed. That all being said, your representatives now might change, but still is good to know who they are.
To find your representative:
- Go here
- Enter your zip code in the bottom left hand corner
- You will be shown a map with your district number, remember that
- Next go here and find your one senate representative and your two house representatives.
- Email, or even better call, your representatives and say "Hi, my name is ____________. You're my representative and I just wanted to let you know I will be outside the Senate/House on January 25th, next Wednesday from 10 AM to 2 PM, and I am excited to have you come out and let me show you the important benefits pharmacy can offer the state of Arizona, and how using pharmacists can alleviate some problems in the health-care issues you are facing. We can talk over lunch; we'll provide. Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing you."
- Be ready to talk to your representatives about your passion for your profession. (You're spending at least $80,000 on it; you have to have some passion for it! Sorry, wrong section to say that in =P)
My Feelings:
Pharmacy Day at the Capitol can be a very useful day. It gives some of us the first opportunity to get the nerve up to actually speak face-to-face with our legislators. This is government in the United States in action. Be a part of it; it is part of who you are being here. On the flip side, it can also become a pointless bit of show-and-tell, much like an elementary school science fair. The difference between the two is the passion you have for what you will do, not what you have done. Legislation is all about the future, as Mike Huckabee put it at the NCPA trade show in Nashville, it is about "aiming for the next bend." What you've done will demonstrate what you can do in the future, so use it as such. When you go to to Phoenix, have solidly in your mind the reason you are going into pharmacy. Yes, I think many of us want a good pay check and a stable career, but why did you choose pharmacy specifically, and what can you offer Arizona in the future? An personal and honest answer to that will make legislators sit up and listen, especially when they know you vote for them.
