I love this time of year. American Pharmacists Month uses all of October to recognize how pharmacists improve medication use, advance patient care, and improve patient access and public health across practice settings.

It also encourages the community to “Know Your Pharmacist—Know Your Medicine,” the theme for American Pharmacists Month. This message encourages patients to interact with their pharmacist and learn more about their medications and other services that pharmacists can provide.

This year in particular, we have a lot to be proud of. Pharmacists in the affected and surrounding areas during this summer’s unprecedented storms acted heroically to distribute vital medications, set up mobile pharmacies, and/or provide patient care—proving once again that pharmacists have a role to play not only in traditional patient care but also in emergency preparedness and response.

I encourage you to use American Pharmacists Month to take that message to your communities. Step outside your practice setting and spend time in the places your community gathers—churches, schools, shopping centers. Make them aware they can come to you for help with their medications, seasonal and lifespan immunizations, health and wellness, and management of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Reach out to your fellow health care providers to make sure they know that you can work together to treat patients, ultimately improving outcomes and contributing to the quality measures associated with value-based care. And don’t forget to take time to honor yourselves and your staff for what you already do every day. On behalf of APhA and the patients you serve, THANK YOU for all that you do!

Are you planning any American Pharmacist Month celebrations? Let us know what you’ve got lined up! Use the hashtag #APhM2017 for your social media postings, and email aphm@pharmacist.com with any coverage, clips, and event photos. Check out the APhA American Pharmacists Month website to help with activity planning, including tips on outreach and messaging, ideas for activities and events, and promotional items featuring the theme and logo.