FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2016
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director Communications
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) has selected James Olson, Pharm.D., as the recipient of the 2016 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Olson was presented the award at the 2016 PSW Annual Convention on Saturday, June 25. 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.
Olson was the owner of Yellow River Pharmacy in Webster for 40 years. He currently serves as the President of the Burnett Medical Center Hospital Foundation and has served on the board multiple times. His responsibilities include fundraising and public relations for the independent, non-profit, local, underserved healthcare facility.
Olson is an active member of his community and helps plan many events for the town of Webster, including the Fourth of July Parade. He has also volunteered as a fireman for the Webster Volunteer Fire Department.
In addition, Olson serves on the school district’s Education Foundation board. Olson is committed to supporting his community and volunteers in any way he can. His leadership inspires others to be involved with the community.
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 active roles 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