FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2018
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) has selected Cissy Clark, PharmD, as the recipient of the 2018 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Clark was presented the award at the APA Luncheon and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Bowl of Hygeia is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and the American Pharmacists Association, with support from Boehringer Ingelheim.
Clark has contributed to her community since graduating from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1994. She is the independent pharmacy owner of Clark’s Family Pharmacy. She is fiercely protective of her patients and dedicated to improving the health of Arkansans. Clark was one of many pharmacists that contacted APA to share stories of drastically reduced reimbursement rates. When a special meeting of the Health Insurance Marketplace Committee was called, Clark was asked to share her story. The emotional story she shared impacted many members of the legislature and started a ball rolling that eventually lead to the passage of the PBM Licensure Act that will require all PBMs to be licensed with the Arkansas Insurance Commission in order to operate in Arkansas.
Clark is a member of the Earle Chamber of Commerce, the Earle Family Medical Rural Health Advisory Board, the Cardinal Club, APA, and NCPA; and an Earle Youth Athletic Association sponsor.
Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities and encourages pharmacists to take an active role in the affairs of their respective communities. The award is presented annually by participating state pharmacist associations, including those in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition to service through their local, state and national pharmacy associations, award recipients have devoted their time, talent, and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service.
The Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. The Bowl of Hygeia has been associated with the pharmacy profession since as early as 1796 when the symbol was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy. The bowl represents a medicinal potion and the snake represents healing. Healing through medicine is precisely why the pharmacy profession has adopted the Bowl of Hygeia symbol.
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 people’s health through 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.
About the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) promotes leadership, sharing, learning, and policy exchange among pharmacy leaders in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and provides education and advocacy to support pharmacists, patients, and communities working together to improve public health. NASPA was founded in 1927 as the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NCSPAE). For more information, please visit the NASPA website www.naspa.us.