APhA Foundation Announces 2018 Pinnacle Award Honorees
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation today announced the three recipients of the 2018 Pinnacle Awards. Established in 1998, the annual Pinnacle Awards celebrate significant contributions to the medication use process through increasing patient adherence, reducing adverse drug events, promoting the use of national treatment guidelines, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing communication among the members of the healthcare team.
“The APhA Foundation is proud to honor the extraordinary contributions that these recipients have made to the profession of pharmacy,” said APhA Foundation Executive Director, Elizabeth K. Keys, RPh. “As the role of pharmacists continues to evolve in health care, the Pinnacle Awards continue to serve as a platform to support their recognition.”
The recipients will be honored during a ceremony on September 17, 2018, during a ceremony at APhA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Awards are presented in three (3) categories:
- Individual Award for Career Achievement: Individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in enhancing healthcare quality and medication use.
- Group Practices, Health Systems, and Healthcare Corporations: This category recognizes a significant scientific contribution and/or quality improvement project.
- Voluntary Health Agencies, Nonprofit Organizations, Associations, Government Agencies and Public/Private Partnerships: Organizations that have demonstrated approaches to assist patients and their caregivers in achieving better outcomes from their medications.
Category I: 2018 Individual Award for Career Achievement
Lisa Tonrey, MHA, R.Ph., Ph.C, FAPhA, CAPT, USPHS (retired)
Throughout her 38-year healthcare leadership career, Lisa Tonrey was dedicated to improving the health of underserved and vulnerable populations as a clinical pharmacist, health administrator, and public health advisor. She served on active duty for over 22 years as a Commissioned Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Tonrey achieved diverse national and international experience and expertise through her engagement in roles that spanned healthcare administration, public health and prevention, emergency response, quality improvement, operations management, clinical/pharmaceutical care delivery, and consultation. Her federal service includes: the U.S Army, USPHS Bureau of Medical Services, HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration-Bureau of Primary Healthcare, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) where she currently serves as a pharmacist and technical advisor.
As the President of the American Pharmacists Association in 2003-2004, Lisa adopted a public health presidential initiative that advanced the agenda for pharmacists to immunize in all 50 states. Tonrey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Rutgers University and a Master of Health Administration from Chapman University. She is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association.
Category II: 2018 Group Practice–Health System–Corporation Award
Balls Food Stores
For over 25 years, Balls Food Stores (BFS) pharmacies have been committed to providing patients the highest quality of care by empowering their pharmacists to practice at the top of their licenses. Under the banners of Hen House, Price Chopper, and Sun Fresh pharmacies, Balls Food’s pharmacists provide clinical services such as immunizations, medication therapy management, and medication synchronization to their patients across the Kansas City metropolitan area. These programs help BFS pharmacists focus not only on ensuring patients receive the right medication at the right time, but also on managing comprehensive health and wellness. BFS prides itself on quality and innovation in pharmacy-provided care: a Hen House Pharmacy was the first pharmacy in the state to administer yellow fever vaccinations for international travel and Balls Foods is one of the only pharmacy chains in the nation providing pharmacogenomics testing in a retail setting. With the goal of developing change agents to maintain this innovative outlook, Balls Foods has trained 37 post-graduate pharmacy residents and well over 1000 area pharmacy students. Balls Food Stores also offers the Start Now program, a comprehensive wellness program run by residency trained and board certified pharmacists. Start Now provides biometric screenings to help individuals learn about their health, hospital discharge counseling to help avoid medication errors, and chronic disease management services for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Category III: 2018 Government Agency–Nonprofit Organization–Association Award
Federal Bureau of Prisons Pharmacy Programs
The health care mission of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is to deliver medically necessary health care to approximately 155,000 inmates in 122 facilities nationwide in accordance with proven standards of care, without compromising public safety concerns inherent to the Bureau's overall mission. The pharmacy program consists of over 168 US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and civilian pharmacists that are encouraged to practice at the highest level of their licenses, through a multitude of clinical services and programs. The BOP embraces an interdisciplinary team medicine model and view pharmacists as healthcare providers and equal partners in the healthcare team. In addition to traditional pharmacy roles, pharmacists utilize collaborative practice agreements (CPA) with physicians in order to manage multiple areas of care including, but not limited to: diabetes, HIV, hepatitis, mental health, pain management, palliative care, anticoagulation, hypertension, asthma, and immunizations.
Clinical outcome data collected from pharmacy-run clinics attest to their effectiveness by repeatedly demonstrating improved clinical outcomes and helping patients attain treatment goals. Clinical pharmacy services have become an essential, widely utilized and valued component of the BOP healthcare team with competent and highly motivated pharmacists improving care throughout the agency.
Correctional Health is Public Health. Healthcare provided by BOP staff transcends the confines of our facilities. Offenders returning home are often healthier with potential to have a positive impact on the health of their families and community.
About the American Pharmacists Association Foundation
The APhA Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., is a trusted source of research demonstrating how pharmacists can improve health care. The APhA Foundation’s mission is to improve health by inspiring philanthropy, research, and innovation that advances pharmacists’ patient care services. The APhA Foundation is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the U.S. For more information, please visit the APhA Foundation website www.aphafoundation.org. Follow the APhA Foundation on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.