Over the years, through various roles in the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), we've made many pharmacy friends around the globe. Even with technology, distances can make maintaining those relationships challenging. On September 30 and October 1, we made a major leap in building old and new connections when John Chave, my counterpart at the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), led a delegation of 27 pharmacists on a study tour of the United States, with a major stop at APhA headquarters. 

 

On the first day, we introduced our European colleagues to pharmacy practice in the United States and shared with them all the great work that we do here at APhA. We provided an overview of our overseas business development initiatives, talked about the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, and explained the Association's professional and government affairs activities. The group also heard from several pharmacy benefit manager and technology folks. Then we had a wonderful dinner together.

 

On the following day, the PGEU delegation toured the Walgreens Well Experience flagship store in Washington's Chinatown neighborhood, visited The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray in Alexandria, VA, and heard from Kaiser Permanente executives. 

 

Many countries were represented, including Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, and Romania. Each of our friends commented on how much they enjoyed their time here at APhA and in the United States. We all share a common goal of helping our public gain greater access to pharmacists' quality patient care services, and it's fair to say we learned a lot from each other. We're so grateful for their visit!