Now is the perfect time to celebrate and appreciate pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for the important role they play every day in our society. Pharmacists have long been considered one of the most trusted and accessible health care professionals. They play a key role in reducing overall health care costs and help achieve optimal patient outcomes by promoting safe, effective and optimal medication use. According to a recent article in Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), pharmacists plausibly accounted for more than 50% of all COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States, with conservative estimates that pharmacy teams averted over 1 million deaths, >8 million hospitalizations, and $450 billion in health care costs because of their pandemic interventions.

October is also the month that we celebrate National Pharmacy Week. This is a long-standing week of celebration where we acknowledge all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff for their invaluable contributions to patient care in various health care settings. This year, National Pharmacy Week recognition is from October 16 to October 22, 2022. We appreciate and want to thank all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staffs within the organization for their invaluable contributions and commitment to helping our patients live healthier lives.