ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation raised $1.77 million for scholarships, research and charitable activities from 114 benefactors at the 13th Annual NACDS Foundation Dinner.
NACDS said that funds generated by the dinner, held Tuesday evening in New York City, support efforts to improve patient health and quality of life by fostering an understanding of prescription medicines, promoting medication adherence, enhancing patient care services at community pharmacies and educating future health care professionals.
Among the foundation’s work, donations support the new Community Pharmacy Residency Expansion Project (PREP) to provide grants to colleges and schools of pharmacy for the development of 30 fully accredited post-graduate residencies.
Separately, the NACDS Foundation presents more than $500,000 in scholarships to pharmacy students annually.
"Consumers can benefit by better understanding their medicines, and tomorrow’s pharmacists will play an even greater role in advancing the public health through enhanced innovative services and care," new NACDS Foundation president Kathleen Jaeger said in a statement. "The NACDS Foundation helps fulfill those necessities by leading an unparalleled effort to improve the public health through community outreach and fostering educational opportunities for the next generation’s pharmacy leaders.”
At the dinner, CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley delivered a keynote address informed by his decades of independent coverage of war-torn regions and access to the world’s decision makers.
The NACDS Foundation has also teamed up with the National Consumers League on its Script Your Future medication adherence public education campaign, having contributed the largest single donation to this initiative at more than $1 million. Script Your Future has emerged as a top priority for U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, who also spoke at the dinner and reinforced the public health importance of medication compliance.
