National Community Pharmacists Association

11/23/2025

Build confidence responding to mental health and substance use challenges and join our virtual Mental Health First Aid training on Dec. 16.

The training covers:
✅ Common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.
✅ How to interact with a person in crisis.
✅ How to connect a person with help.

Thanks to the support of the Cardinal Health Foundation, we are able to offer a $50 discount on all registration fees.

🗓️ Register by Dec. 9:

Pharmacists and pharmacy team members are more likely to need to respond to a mental health episode than to a situation requiring basic life support or CPR. Mental Health First Aid training, therefore, could be considered more important than CPR training.

11/22/2025

🎙️ New Independent Rx Forum episode alert!

In our latest podcast episode, host John Beckner talks with NCPA's Ronna Hauser and Jessica Satterfield about the Pharmacy Shortage Areas Mapping Tool from NCPA and USC that's now available to the public. Tune in to learn how it shines a light on access gaps and helps drive smarter policy decisions.

🎧 Listen now: https://ncpa.org/rxforumpodcast

11/22/2025

🕊️ Support your patients at the end of life

Join the next Community Connected session, a CPESN® initiative, on Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET to explore how community pharmacies can support patients and families through end-of-life care with compassion and clinical confidence.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will learn to:
• Understand U.S. mortality trends
• Recognize cultural perspectives and misconceptions
• Advocate for patient choice in end-of-life care
• Communicate with families after a patient’s passing

🔗 Register:

11/21/2025

👋 Meet Your Team: Belawoe Akwakoku, associate director of state government affairs, NCPA

Since 2021, Belawoe has been on the front lines of state policy for independent pharmacy — tracking scope of practice legislation in all 50 states, writing testimony, and helping members advocate for themselves at their states.

“I love seeing pharmacists discover their power in advocacy and how telling their story can create real change.”

🥾 Fun fact: Belawoe loves hiking, video games, and cooking pasta and desserts.

📖 Read more about Belawoe in this month’s America’s Pharmacist®: https://ncpa.org/americas-pharmacist

11/20/2025

We're pleased to announce the launch of Compounding PATH for Technicians, a compounding program designed in partnership with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and PCCA to elevate pharmacy technicians to nationally recognized training standards. Kicking off with two scheduled offerings in 2026, it's a comprehensive, hybrid learning experience that prepares technicians to meet the highest benchmarks in nonsterile compounding practice and professional growth. “By bringing together PCCA’s deep compounding expertise, NCPA’s commitment to community pharmacy success and PTCB’s nationally recognized standards, Compounding PATH for Technicians delivers unmatched credibility and a clear pathway for technicians to grow their careers while driving pharmacy performance," NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey says.

⚫ Read our joint news release here: https://bit.ly/47RLZhd
⚫ Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/488Uvr2

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Nov. 20, 2025) – The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and PCCA today announced the launch of Compounding PATH for Technicians, a compounding program designed to elevate pharmacy technicians to nationally recogniz...

11/19/2025

📣 NCPA members meet Beacon MFP on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. ET.

Starting Jan. 1, part of your reimbursement for the 10 drugs in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for 2026 will come through manufacturer refund payments.

Join this webinar to learn how the Beacon MFP platform helps pharmacies:
💡 Track refund status
💡 View claim-level data
💡 File good faith inquiries

🔗 Register now:

You need visibility to manufacturer refund payment status for the ten drugs selected for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program in 2026. Starting January 1, part of your revenue for dispensing these drugs will be a manufacturer refund payment to supplement the reimbursement from PBMs which will...

11/18/2025

🎙️ New podcast episode: Expanding Immunization Access Through Pharmacy

Recorded at , host John Beckner and co-host Ed Cohen are joined by Marc Ost, owner of Eric’s Rx Shoppe, for a conversation on how pharmacy-provided immunization services have evolved, the critical role pharmacists play in vaccine access, and why these services remain essential to public health.

🎧 Listen now: https://ncpa.org/rxforumpodcast

11/17/2025

🏝️ Registration is now open! Join us for the 2026 Multiple Locations Conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla., Feb. 18–21.

Discover innovative ways to grow your practice, connect with other multi-store owners, and gain insights from top experts in management, operations, and patient care.

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your network and elevate your business, register and book your housing now!

🔗 Secure your spot: https://ncpa.org/multiple-locations-conference

11/16/2025

⏳ Two days to go!

There’s still time to register for this upcoming session on asthma rescue therapy. Join us as we review evolving guidance from GINA, the impact of airway inflammation and systemic corticosteroid exposure, and an inhaled corticosteroid-containing rescue approach for patients across asthma severities.

Sponsored by AstraZeneca.

🔗 Register here:

How do YOU approach rescue therapy for your patients with asthma? Join us as we examine the role of variable inflammation in the occurrence of asthma exacerbations and the consequent burden of systemic corticosteroid exposures. See recent recommendations from GINA supporting an anti-inflammatory res...

11/14/2025

💊 I Am NCPA: Tyler Dalton, PharmD
Tyler leads nine Dalton Pharmacy locations in Alabama, where his team combines clinical care with a mission to help patients access and afford their medications. Community connection is at the heart of everything they do.

“We want to be active members in the community. When we look to go into a town, we want to have local people there and a local presence.”

📚 Read his story in this month’s America’s Pharmacist®: https://ncpa.org/americas-pharmacist

11/12/2025

⏰ Happening tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET

Join our Learning Hour with Tim Ulbrich, PharmD, co-founder and CEO of Your Financial Pharmacist. He’ll walk through five pillars to bring clarity and confidence to your financial life and you'll leave with small, practical steps to reduce anxiety, stay proactive, and strengthen your overall financial well-being.

🔗 Register now:

Financial stress often comes from uncertainty; not knowing where you stand, where you’re headed, or how all the pieces fit together. In this session, Your Financial Pharmacist Co-founder & CEO, Tim Ulbrich, PharmD will cover five foundational pillars that bring clarity and confidence to your finan...

11/12/2025

🧠 Get your Mental Health First Aid Certification!

Pharmacists and pharmacy team members are more likely to encounter a mental health episode than a CPR situation, making MHFA training a vital skill.

This virtual training on Dec. 16 will help you identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.

🗓️ Thanks to the support of the Cardinal Health Foundation, we are able to offer a $50 discount on all registration fees. Registration closes Dec. 9 — don’t wait!

🔗 Claim your spot: ncpa.org/mental-health-first-aid

Pharmacists and pharmacy team members are more likely to need to respond to a mental health episode than to a situation requiring basic life support or CPR. Mental Health First Aid training, therefore, could be considered more important than CPR training.