FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2017
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The Nebraska Pharmacists Association (NPA) has selected Gary E. Rihanek, RPh, as the recipient of the 2017 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Rihanek was presented the award at the 2017 Annual Meeting on Friday, July 28. The Bowl of Hygeia is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and the American Pharmacists Association, with support from Boehringer Ingelheim.
Rihanek has contributed to his community since graduating from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy in 1977. He is the former owner of Kohlls Wagery Drug and currently practices there. Rihanek is a member of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, serving on the Legislative and Third Party Advisory Committees and various task forces. He represents the NPA as a member of the Medicaid Quality Assurance Committee, and participates in the Nebraska MEDs statewide drug takeback program.
Rihanek exemplifies the true meaning of community service. He serves as an Elder in the Lincoln Crossroads Church and is extremely active with their ministry. He has been involved in the Lincoln Independent Business Association for many years, advocating for small businesses in the Lincoln community. He has served as mentor for many young pharmacists in Lincoln, coordinating meetings to discuss current issues, best practices, business opportunities and challenges, and to share his years of experience with his colleagues. His industry and pharmacy affiliations include membership in the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, National Community Pharmacists Association, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, and the American Pharmacists Association.
Rihanek earned the Lincoln Homeless Coalition's Business Service Award and is a champion in the health care community. His passion for helping others is evident in the many group homes, indigent care programs, non-profit clinics and other patient care programs in which he is involved. Rihanek is always willing to provide a solution to patient care, often when others won't. He is a true patient advocate and community partner. Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities and encourages pharmacists to take an active role in the affairs of their respective communities. The award is presented annually by participating state pharmacist associations, including those in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition to service through their local, state, and national pharmacy associations, award recipients have devoted their time, talent, and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service.
The Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. The Bowl of Hygeia has been associated with the pharmacy profession since as early as 1796 when the symbol was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy. The bowl represents a medicinal potion and the snake represents healing. Healing through medicine is precisely why the pharmacy profession has adopted the Bowl of Hygeia symbol.
About the American Pharmacists Association Foundation
The APhA Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., is a trusted source of research demonstrating how pharmacists can improve health care. The APhA Foundation’s mission is to improve people’s health through pharmacists’ patient care services. The APhA Foundation is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the U.S. For more information, please visit the APhA Foundation website www.aphafoundation.org. Follow the APhA Foundation on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.
About the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) promotes leadership, sharing, learning, and policy exchange among pharmacy leaders in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and provides education and advocacy to support pharmacists, patients, and communities working together to improve public health. NASPA was founded in 1927 as the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NCSPAE). For more information, please visit the NASPA website www.naspa.us.