Chiesi USA Sponsors ASHP Advantage Initiative to Support Pharmacy Technician Recruitment and Retention

• As a Certified B Corporation™, Chiesi deepens ASHP partnership to fund educational efforts designed to address the pharmacy technician shortage and support pharmaceutical professionals.

CARY, N.C., Dec. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Chiesi USA (key-ay-zee), the U.S. affiliate of Chiesi Farmaceutici, an international research-focused healthcare group (Chiesi Group), today announced its sponsorship of the ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Advantage initiative to support pharmacy technician recruitment and retention.

According to a recent ASHP survey, hospitals and health systems are experiencing severe shortages of pharmacy technicians, with a majority of pharmacy administrators reporting turnover rates of at least 21% in 2021, and nearly 10% noting they had lost 41% or more of their technicians. In response to the staffing gap, pharmacy administrators have increased overtime hours for technicians and engaged pharmacists to perform tasks usually completed by technicians.

“Pharmacy technicians are integral to the pharmacy process, managing medication and administrative functions like sterile compounding of chemotherapy, inventory management, medication order distribution, billing, handling hazardous drugs and so much more,” said Jon Zwinski, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Chiesi USA. “When that equilibrium is disrupted, pharmacists are unable to focus on direct patient care, which can have negative impacts on patient experience, medication usage and outcomes.”

The ASHP Advantage initiative is designed to address the pharmacy technician shortage through educational strategies, tools and resources to improve recruitment and retention efforts. The initiative seeks to lead national conversations on the issue, identify and exchange opportunities to address it, and stabilize and strengthen the pharmacy technician profession.

Chiesi’s support of ASHP Advantage will enable the following efforts:

• Assembly of a steering committee with faculty members selected from a variety of settings for representation. The committee will discuss issues contributing to the pharmacy technician shortage and best practices used at their institutions to combat the challenge. The committee will guide and support the development of ASHP tools and resources. Selected faculty members include:
  • Matthew J. Kelm, PharmD, MHA: Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer of Oncology Pharmacy Services at Duke University Health System Department of Pharmacy.
  • Matthew A. Rewald, BS, CPhT, DPLA: Program Director of the Mayo Clinic Pharmacy Technician Program, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science and Pharmacy Technician Education Coordinator at Mayo Clinic.
  • Tyler Darcy, MBA, CPhT-Adv: Manager of Pharmacy Training and Development in the Department of Pharmacy Services at Boston Medical Center.
  • Mariel Pereda, PharmD, BCPS: Manager of Pharmacy Operations, Program Coordinator of the PGY1/2 HSPAL Residency Program and Program Director of the Pharmacy Technician Training Program at Yale New Haven Hospital.
• Launch of the Pharmacy Technician Recruitment and Retention Resource Center, which will include detailed information about the initiative, a checklist of recruitment and retention strategies to assist pharmacists in their efforts, examples of career ladders for pharmacy technicians, and other resources.
• Two live CPE webinars for pharmacists to further their education.
• Two podcast episodes that will highlight key takeaways from the initiative, such as how to make the most of the resource center materials and success stories.
• Two expert commentaries to allow faculty to share their real-world practice experiences in improving patient care and the practice process.

“We are proud to deepen our partnership with ASHP to support such an important initiative that is addressing an urgent issue in our industry,” added Mr. Zwinski. “Patients are always at the core of our work at Chiesi, and we believe that supporting the well-being and fulfillment of pharmacy technicians and industry professionals will ultimately aid in providing optimal patient care.”

Chiesi has previously supported ASHP by providing research grants for the ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Leadership Scholars program. Through Chiesi and the ASHP Foundation’s partnership, announced in March of 2021, five early-stage pharmacist researchers were given $10,000 grants to support meaningful research that advances diversity, equity, inclusion and access in healthcare. Chiesi is also a Silver Level sponsor of the ASHP Corporate Partners Program, a collaboration between the ASHP Foundation, ASHP and corporations to promote improvements in patient care.

The company’s work with ASHP demonstrates Chiesi’s dedication to improving the health and well-being of its communities each day as a Certified B Corporation. B Corp™ members are verified by B Lab™ to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. B Lab is a nonprofit network that creates standards, policies, tools and programs to benefit all people, communities and the planet.

About Chiesi USA
Chiesi USA, Inc., headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercialization of products for the hospital and target office-based specialties. The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of family-owned Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A, a global R&D-focused pharmaceutical company based in Parma, Italy. In the United States, the Company delivers therapies and enhances care for patients in the areas of acute cardiology, neonatology, cystic fibrosis and rare diseases. Recognized as a Certified B Corporation™, Chiesi is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of its communities through its employee-led corporate social responsibility program, Chiesi in the Community. Innovation, collaboration and impact are the cornerstones of the Chiesi culture. For more information, visit www.chiesiusa.com.

About Chiesi Group 
Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi’s commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. Since 2019 Chiesi is certified B Corp, meaning that its sustainability efforts are measured and assessed by the most ambitious global standards. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.  

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group’s research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden. 

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com.

Contacts
Media: FleishmanHillard, Elizabeth Comtois, (973) 600-1170, elizabeth.comtois@fleishman.com
Chiesi USA: Neha Suryavanshi, (919) 678 6611 x1533, neha.suryavanshi@chiesi.com

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