FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2018
Media Contacts: Chad Clinton |
Associate Director, Public Relations |
American Pharmacists Association |
(202) 429-7558 |
New York Pharmacist John Westerman, Jr. Honored for Outstanding Community Service
WASHINGTON, DC – The Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY) has selected John Westerman, Jr., RPh, as the recipient of the 2018 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Westerman was presented the award at the PSSNY Annual Convention on Saturday, June 23, 2018. 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.
Westerman has contributed to his community since graduating from the Auburn University in 1995. He is the independent community pharmacy owner of Newburgh Pharmacy and has participated in and supported community health fairs, annual events conducted by the Greater Hudson Valley Family Health Center (Cornerstone) in the city of Newburgh, NY. These events promote health, disease prevention, and wellness education in a family friendly venue. He has always played an active role in his community and especially for the profession of pharmacy.
Westerman currently serves as Chair of the New York State Board of Pharmacy and stays up-to-date on key initiatives to understand what is affecting pharmacists, as well as understanding legislation that is affecting the pharmacy profession. He is a past PSSNY president and remains an integral part of PSSNY. Westerman is also a liaison for the NYSDOH PAC committee for the pharmacists of the state of New York.
Westerman has served as President of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, 1995; Orange County Pharmacists Society, President; NYS Department of Health Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, 2016; NYS Department of Health Medicaid Management Pharmacy Advisory Committee, Member 1988 – Present; Pharmacists Society of Orange County, Board Member 1986 – 2006; and Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, Region Representative 1087 – 1994. His industry pharmacy organizations include PSSNY Member, Forever; NYS Board of Pharmacy, Chairman 2018; NCPA Member, Forever; and Pharmacy and Therapeutics for Wellcare New York , Member 1989 – 1994.
Westerman is an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He has supported the National Night Out event in the city of Newburgh, an annual event to foster increased cooperation and improved relations between police officers and the community that they serve. He also supports the St. Patrick's Soup Kitchen and Catholic Charities. These organizations provide free meals and other free services to the homeless and other less fortunate members of the City of Newburgh and surrounding areas. Westerman has worked to increase awareness of the opioid abuse problem by participating in community town hall style forums organized by NYS Senate, collaborated with community leaders, law enforcement personal, substance abuse treatment, and other stakeholders.
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.