High Point Mayor Declares October as American Pharmacists Month
A High Point University pharmacy student helped bring this proclamation to life. In the front row from left are student Allie Poovey, professor Dr. Jordan Smith, students Cashmir Blount, Annie Lavallee, Danyelle Thompson and Devon Hess. In the back row from left are student Zach Amigo, HPU Provost Dr. Daniel Erb, Dean Dr. Mary Jayne Kennedy, Mayor Wagner, and students Shane Garrettson and Kedar Oza.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 19, 2022 – October in the city of High Point is now American Pharmacists Month thanks to the efforts from a High Point University pharmacy student. High Point Mayor Jay Wagner officially declared October as pharmacy month at a city council meeting on Oct. 17.
“There are a lot of lab coats in the city council meeting, and I thank you all for being here,” said Wagner. “Be it resolved as the city of High Point that October 2022 is American Pharmacists Month.”
Shane Garrettson, a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate in HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, initially requested the proclamation from Mayor Wagner and helped advocate for the university’s pharmacy school and pharmacists in the region.
“Recognizing October as American Pharmacists Month honors a longstanding tradition of celebrating the indispensable efforts and critical role pharmacists play in our society,” said Garrettson, who is expected to graduate in May 2023. “Pharmacists constitute an essential component of health care teams, collaborating with providers of every level in virtually every health care sphere. Now more than ever, the vital work of pharmacists in forming the underpinning to nationwide pandemic response, in addition to their usual duties of medication management, should be recognized.”
The city proclamation is an initiative of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) in support of Pharmacy Legislative Week and American Pharmacist Month.
“We are so excited to celebrate pharmacists and their vital role as health care providers during American Pharmacists Month and are grateful to Mayor Wagner for recognizing pharmacists and student pharmacists in the city of High Point through this proclamation,” said Dr. Mary Jayne Kennedy, interim dean of the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.
“We’re proud to be a part of the community, and we are grateful for this recognition,” said Dr. Daniel Erb, HPU Provost. “Our faculty and students provide a lot of care to the community, some of which is pro bono care to those who need it and cannot afford health care.”
HPU’s School of Pharmacy is the only pharmacy school in the Triad.