LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim October 20-26, 2013, as Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week
in the State of New York, in conjunction with National Hospital &
Health-System Pharmacy Week

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to acknowledge offi-
cial weeks that are set aside to recognize the vital contributions of
individuals who affect the health of the citizens of New York State; and
WHEREAS, National Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week acknowledges
the invaluable contributions pharmacists and technicians make to patient
care in our nation's health care institutions; and
WHEREAS, It is an ideal time for pharmacy departments to acknowledge
and celebrate their achievements in ensuring safe and effective medica-
tion use in their institutions and to share those accomplishments with
patients, other health professionals, and the community; and
WHEREAS, Pharmacists use National Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy
Week to underscore the many new and vital roles they now play in patient
care; and
WHEREAS, The evolution has been especially dramatic in recent years as
pharmacists have moved beyond compounding and dispensing medications to
become vital members of multidisciplinary patient-care teams; and
WHEREAS, Many consumers are not aware that pharmacists play a critical
role in preventing medication errors, advising prescribers on the best
drug choices, and working directly with patients to ensure they under-
stand how to use their medications safely and effectively; and
WHEREAS, Pharmacy Week is a great way to educate the public about how
pharmacists can help them get the most benefit from their medicine; and
WHEREAS, Hospital and health-system pharmacists have been able to take
on enhanced patient-care roles because of a number of factors, including
the deployment of highly trained, certified technicians and new technol-
ogies like robotics that dispense medications; and
WHEREAS, As technology evolves, such as the addition of machine-reada-
ble codes to medication labels, patients will have greater opportunities
to have a pharmacist involved in their care; and
WHEREAS, Pharmacists are experts on the thousands of medications
available today, how each one works in the body, and the ways to use
each one safely and effectively; and
WHEREAS, Pharmacists who graduate today receive six years of education
focused on medication therapy, and many pharmacists practicing in hospi-
tals and health systems also complete post-graduate residency programs;
they advise doctors and nurses on the best medications and monitor every
patient's medication therapy and provide quality checks to detect and
prevent harmful drug interactions, reactions, or mistakes; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 20-26, 2013, as
Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week in the State of New York, in
conjunction with National Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.