CARDINAL HEALTH, INC. WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2014 - At its annual Retail Business Conference in Washington, D.C., Cardinal Health named Barry Bryant, owner of Barney's Pharmacy of Augusta, Ga., as the recipient of its Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award.
This annual award honors a retail independent pharmacist who promotes the ideals of community pharmacy and actively demonstrates the important role retail pharmacists can play in delivering quality patient care. Nominees, selected by fellow independent pharmacists and Cardinal Health leaders, are evaluated on a variety of criteria including community service and involvement; ability to inspire others; and commitment to making their communities better places to live.
According to Steve Lawrence, senior vice president of Independent Sales for Cardinal Health, Bryant embodies the true meaning of the term 'community advocate' and has demonstrated how simple acts of kindness and education can create a healthier community.
In the pharmacy community, Bryant has demonstrated considerable commitment to the industry by delivering a variety of educational and service offerings including:
- Partnering with the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center (KPIC) through the South Carolina College of Pharmacy to mentor pharmacy students and encourage them to develop new, innovative ways to practice retail pharmacy;
- Offering a residency program in a retail pharmacy setting to pharmacy students from The University of Georgia School of Pharmacy and University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy; and
- Creating a first-class patient education program that features free classes each month on topics like diabetes, cardiovascular, COPD/asthma, depression/mental illness and weight loss.
Bryant has also shown tremendous dedication to serving others through community service projects such as:
- Organizing and hosting support group meetings for breast cancer and ostomy patients, which feature guest speakers and create a hopeful and comforting environment for attendees;
- Hosting a free Health Fair every fall, at his retail pharmacy, where he offers free health screenings and wellness classes;
- Supporting many local community groups through charitable giving; and
- Delivering vans full of toys, food, clothing and household items around the holidays to individuals at the Hope House, a residential treatment facility that serves homeless women, pregnant women and women with children.
As a way of recognizing Bryant's extraordinary commitment to community service to the pharmacy profession and residents of the Augusta area, Cardinal Health will donate $5,000 to the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy and $5,000 to the University of Georgia School of Pharmacy, in Bryant's honor.
Additional finalists for the 2014 Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award include:
- Chukwuma Madu - Freeport Medical Supply Inc - Freeport, N.Y.
- Robert Gisnik - Southrifty Drug - Southampton, N.Y.
- George Hammons - Knox Professional Pharmacy - Barbourville, Ken.
- Deborah Walker Robinson - Walker's Pharmacy - Newton, N.C.
This annual award was created in honor of Tampa, Fla., independent pharmacist Ken Wurster, who passed away in 2008. Wurster was highly regarded for his commitment to serving his customers, epitomizing the role of a pharmacist who took responsibility for the wellness of his community. All nominations were evaluated by members of Cardinal Health's National Retail Advisory Board (NRAB) and a team of Cardinal Health employees. The five finalists were sent to an executive committee including Cardinal Health leadership and NRAB members who together selected Bryant for his extraordinary community commitment.
About the Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC)
The Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC), held July 23-26 in Washington, D.C., provides independent pharmacies and pharmacy franchise owners with the opportunity to network with and learn from thousands of their peers from across the nation, while gaining new insights to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their businesses. The annual event provides independent pharmacy owners, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy industry professionals across the United States with access to pharmaceutical manufacturers, buying opportunities, continuing education sessions and programs to help pharmacists reduce costs and improve patient care and efficiency. For more information, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/RBC.
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $101 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products and services to more than 100,000 locations each day and is also the industry-leading direct-to-home medical supplies distributor. The company is a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company operates the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #22 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs 33,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at www.cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.
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