In this special section of Hospital News, the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) is proud to shine a light on the contribution of hospital pharmacy to improving patient outcomes and health systems across Canada.
This year is the final year of CSHP’s current 2020-23 strategic plan. This set of benchmarks laid out an ambitious plan to transform our society and the foundations we are built upon. It encouraged us to strive for financial and membership sustainability. It provided us with strategic priorities like providing members with more opportunities for specialized education and the welcoming of pharmacy technicians. It also pushed us to provide even more value for our members’ money and to mold our previous governance and infrastructure into something much more nimble and adaptable.
Now, as we begin the process of creating our next strategic plan, our focus is starting to shift outward. Yes, we will carry on our internal work focusing on membership growth, engagement, and value, but now we will also be setting our sites farther out. We will look to more advanced professional practice development, greater advocacy for improved healthcare systems and a higher profile for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in hospitals and other collaborative models of practice.
One such way that we have done that is through our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.
We have applauded and collaborated with the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (IPPC), launched by Founder and Chair Dr. Jaris Swidrovich and CEO Amy Lamb in 2022. They are dedicated to eliminating racism and promoting frameworks to ensure culture-safe and affirming environments for Indigenous patients and pharmacy practitioners. We were honoured and educated by their presence and address to our CSHP Board Meeting last October. The relationship has allowed us to amplify the work of the IPPC and to examine CSHP’s own programs in initial areas such as governance and residency accreditation. To this end, as a Metis Nation of British Columbia citizen himself, our own CSHP National President, Dr. Sean Spina is also an IPPC Founding Board Member.
Our commitment to inclusion carried through to the education offered at Together 2023, our national conference. It featured sessions on a primary care perspective of healthcare delivery for Indigenous Canadians, 2SLGBTQ+ health and how professionals can help transgender people thrive in healthcare and more. By amplifying the perspectives of equity-deserving groups, we can be sure to make healthcare for all people all the time.
We view our advocacy as the joining of conviction and hard evidence. Our commitment to hospital pharmacy comes from our conviction that the fullest expression of the profession will improve people’s lives. When we match this with the actual evidence of hospital pharmacy positively affecting patient outcomes, we can bring about systemic change. Our conviction helps us draw others into our vision of a better healthcare system where safe, effective medication use underlies all patient care. But it is the evidence and the argument that will lead decision makers in governments and institutions to implement meaningful change to healthcare systems.
At CSHP, we are more than prepared to continue to put in the work regarding our advocacy efforts that impact our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals that will, in fact, see that we are a force in advancing care for all.
To learn more about us, our advocacy or our many other member benefits including education, position statements, volunteering and more, our website is CSHP.ca.
By Jody Ciufo, Mba – Chief Executive Officer & Dr. Sean Spina, Rph, Bsc(Pharm), Acpr, Pharmd, Fcshp – Cshp President
